Independence of a Hero
by Egyptian Flame
Summary: Realization dawns on Harry following the discovery of the contents of the prophecy. Intent on running away to train, he is unexpectedly thrust a thousand years into the past. Can Harry keep the veil of secrecy over the future while planning Voldemort's de
1. The Missing Link

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Summary**: Realization dawns on Harry following the discovery of the contents of the prophecy. Intent on running away to train, he is unexpectedly thrust a thousand years into the past. Can Harry keep the veil of secrecy over the future while planning Voldemort's demise or will the task be one too many for the Boy-Who-Lived? Follow him on a perilous journey of love, hate, and justice in the "Independence of aHero." An Egyptian Flame production. Certificate 15. All rights reserved.

**Chapter 1: The Missing Link**

The first week of the summer passed like a blur to Harry, all that he was thinking about was his deceased godfather. The emptiness filled his soul as another person close to him was taken away. All because he was foolish enough to follow a false vision. The incident in the department of Mysteries was still clear in his mind, as if mocking him for being alive every second of everyday since his returned to his relatives. Worst of all was that Dumbledore refused to relocate him anywhere else, claiming he was safe from Death Eaters and their master Voldemort.

What about his own mental health? Did Dumbledore think that by keeping secrets from him he'd be safe? In addition, when he returns to Dumbledore's office after the battle, he was kind enough to decide to reveal the prophecy to him just right after his godfather died.

'_I would have studied harder and applied myself to the Occlumency lessons with Snape if I had known the reason for it' _thought Harry bitterly. The Occlumency lessons were a disaster. There was no doubt about that. When Snape caught him looking in his Pensieve, he saw a memory of a younger Snape being humiliated by James Potter, which made him resent the fact that his father was a bully. Harry hated feeling helpless or trapped, which was the main feeling inside him after he heard the prophecy from Dumbledore.

How do they expect him to defeat Voldemort? He is only almost sixteen years old with not enough knowledge to defeat a wizard who spent his lifetime studying and learning dark magic. He sighed and decided to go to the park to have some fresh air. He passed the Dursleys, who were watching T.V and were ignoring him completely after the warning from the Order members at King's cross-station. He was walking past a few houses when he heard a woman whispering to her neighbor.

"Did you hear about the scientist who moved to Magnolia Crescent? He's a lunatic, I am telling you. He kept talking about creating a time machine," said the woman to her neighbor disdainfully. Harry raised an eyebrow but kept walking until he reached the park and sat down, thinking about what was in store for him.

He closed his eyes, relaxing for a little while and cherishing the silence that surrounding him. It was only after a few minutes that he heard someone's footsteps near him. He opened his eyes in alert and fingered his wand, which was in his pocket, and kept quiet. He sat patiently, waiting for the person to come near and hoping it wasn't a Death Eater or an Order member as he didn't want to talk to either.

It was a few moments when the person appeared a few metres from Harry and sat down on a bench near him. He was a short man who appeared to be in his fifties. He had white hair, clear blue eyes, and he was talking to himself, muttering strange things that Harry couldn't help but overhear.

"What is the missing link? What do I need to make the machine work? Everything is calculated and the equations are stable but there is something missing. There must a failure in the equation of…," the man kept arguing with himself. Harry watched amused as the man argued until Harry had enough and went to the man.

"If you relax, you might find the answer sir," Harry said quietly. It was ironic, since Harry himself never found the answer to his dilemma, relaxing or otherwise. The man looked at Harry then shook his head and extended his hand. "Robert Anderson, I'm a scientist."

"Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you Mr. Anderson," said Harry quietly, shaking the man's hand. The man motioned for him to sit down on the bench next to him.

"I cannot relax, not when I'm close to finding an answer to my problem," exclaimed the man, frustrated with the lack of answer. Harry looked sympathetically having experienced the feeling of helplessness many times before.

"Do you like physics, Harry?" the scientist asked conversationally. Harry shook his head since his only Muggle education had only lasted until he turned eleven. They talked for a while about anything and everything, and Harry got to know the man better.

The sun was considerably lower in the sky when Harry excused himself and walked back to the Dursley's home. Fortunately, he had no schoolwork since they would be choosing the subjects for their NEWTs during the summer. Harry decided that being an Auror fell in the category of working for the ministry of magic, which was corrupted from the minister to the lowest clerk. He decided that he must check to see the options available to him other than being an Auror and to do that; he needed to write Hermione a letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Firstly, I want you to know that I am very sorry for what happened in the Departments of Mysteries. I should have heeded your warning and stayed at Hogwarts and you were almost killed in the process. I am also sorry for snapping and shouting at you the whole year when you did nothing but try to help me. I was stressed with everything happening around me and with Umbridge's actions against me; it pushed me over the edge. Moreover, I wanted to thank you for sticking by me through everything that happened since we arrived at Hogwarts. You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for, thank you for being there for me. _

_I also wanted to ask you if you have the book that contained the job options since I have decided not to be an Auror. Working for the ministry is not what I have in mind for my future. _

_Your friend,_

_Harry_

Satisfied with the letter, Harry tied it to Hedwig's leg and opened the window for her to fly into the distance.

"This is for Hermione, girl," Harry said softly, rubbing her feathers. Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately then took off through the open window. Harry watched his owl fly away and sighed, wishing for the freedom of soaring through the sky.

From the first day at Privet Drive, Harry had studied his old school books repeatedly until he memorized every detail. The studying helped him keep his mind from thinking about the death of his godfather.

He slept a few hours everyday, waking up screaming with nightmares of his godfather falling through the veil, which brought his thoughts back to the prophecy. He realized that he won't do Sirius any good by crying every night and his godfather wouldn't have wanted him to feel guilty. With that, Harry vowed revenge on everybody responsible for the death of his godfather.

* * *

Harry was reading his fifth year transfiguration book when a strange looking owl flew through his window, settling on the chair in front of Harry. Harry untied the letter and opened the seal, which was strangely familiar to him but he couldn't place where he saw it before. He shrugged and took out the letter and started reading.

_Mr. Harry J. Potter,_

_In accordance to the last will and testament of Sirius Black, you are requested at the reading of his will on the 16th of July at Gringotts bank in Diagon alley at 9 a.m. Please note that failure to show up will result in forfeiting the inheritance to Mrs. Narcissa Black-Malfoy and Bellatrix Black Lestranges. If you drop two blood drops on this letter, it will turn to a Portkey to Gringotts at the mentioned time and it will take you directly in front of our bank._

_Smicklehook,_

_Gringotts bank._

Harry looked at his calendar and realized that the will was to be read the next day.He read for a few hours until he was too tired to continue and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He found himself in the same repetitive dream. This time, Harry noticed something was wrong with Bellatrix Lestrange. Her eyes were red for a minute but as Sirius fell through the veil, they changed back to violet. It was the first time that he'd noticed the change in eye color. He woke up panting and turned the light on, taking in what he saw.

Was Bellatrix Lestrange a metamorphmagus? Tonks was one and she was half a Black. He sighed tiredly and decided that it was no use to go back to sleep, seeing that he slept for three hours. He changed out of his sweaty clothes and grabbed his transfiguration book and continuing his studying. After a few hours of reading, Hedwig flew through the window with a package and a letter from Hermione.

_Dear Harry,_

_Don't blame yourself for what happened in the department of Mysteries, it was our decision to come with you and we knew the risks. It was my fault that the curse hit me and I did not try to dodge it so don't blame yourself for that either. You know that if you need to talk, I'm here for you and if your scar hurts, please tell Dumbledore. I have sent you the book you asked for, along with a few books for you to prepare for the NEWTS_

_Love,_

_Hermione_

_PS: Did you get your O.W.Ls? I hope I don't fail in any subjects_

'_Fail?'_ though Harry amusedly. '_If Hermione ever failed in something, then nobody would pass it in the first place.'_ He looked at the clock and saw that it was 7 am. He had two hours before the will reading so he decided to shower. He went to the bathroom and thankfully, the Dursley's were not up yet so there was no need to rush.

He relaxed as the water ran down his body, relieving him of some stress. Half an hour later, he exited the bathroom and went to his room. He threw on the best-looking hand-me-downs he owned, resolving to buy new clothes for himself. He was ready to go but he had an hour and a half to spare so took out his charms book and started reading and memorizing again.

He kept reading until it was 3 minutes to nine. He pricked his finger with a pin, drawing drops of blood in the parchment and readied himself to leave. The three minutes passed quickly and Harry felt a tug on his navel before disappearing from his room with nothing but his wand.

After appearing in front of the huge white building of Gringotts, Harry entered and headed for a nearby goblin. He showed him the letter and the goblin motioned for him to follow. They walked through a strange door on the side to a hall which was filled with paintings of some prestigious goblins. Harry ignored the paintings and kept walking behind the goblin until they reached an office.

Harry entered and was impressed with the well-decorated room. The wall behind the desk was made of white marble, which was adorned with two portraits of important looking goblins. The sidewalls were made of other strange material and on it hung two swords and some fancy looking shields. Harry's sight finally settled on the goblin sitting behind a mahogany desk with some papers in front of him.

"Welcome to Gringotts Mr. Potter," said the goblin, sitting behind the desk as the other left the office. "I'm Silverhook and I will be in charge of the Black will reading today. Please have a seat." Harry sat down in the chair offered to him and the goblin took out an envelope from his desk and gave it to Harry. Harry opened the seal and read, the grief coming back full force as he read.

**LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SIRIUS BLACK **

_I, Lord Sirius Black, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, hereby declare this as my last will and testament. I leave my godson, by the name of Harry James Potter, the entire Black fortune and assets and hereby declare him my heir, and head of the Black family._

_Lord Sirius Black. _

_Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black_

"You will be the Head of the Black family as soon as you sign these papers," said Silverhook, presenting the inheritance papers. Harry was presented a blood quill, which reminded him of Umbridge and her detentions. He calmed himself down and signed the papers, a feeling of guilt filling him as he officially received his deceased godfather's money.

The goblin gave him another paper to sign which Harry gave a look of uncertainty.

"These are emancipation papers prepared by your deceased godfather," said Silverhook, giving the papers to Harry. It made Harry smile for the first time since his godfather died as he signed the emancipation papers, giving him adult rights.

"Since you signed the emancipation papers, you are now the Head of the Potter family and are allowed control of your family vaults," said Silverhook calmly. "You are also considered an adult in the wizarding world, so you can practice magic, are able to have an Apparating license, vote, and every other privileges and responsibilities of an adult."

"Thank you Silverhook and please call me Harry," replied Harry smiling slightly and extending his hand. The goblin looked shocked for half a second then shook Harry's hand.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you Harry," said Silverhook. He presented Harry with a card that looked like a Muggle credit card. "This is used by the old families to large purchases. Are you familiar with the Muggle credit card?" Harry nodded. "It works the same but for both wizarding and Muggle shops."

Harry nodded his head, took the card, and left the office. He decided to go shopping for clothes, books and other stuff that he would need to start training. He vowed to have revenge for Sirius and kill Voldemort even if it cost him his life. He exited the bank and headed for his first stop, which was a trunk shop.

"How can I help you, young man?" asked the man behind the counter. Harry turned and replied, "I need a sorcerer's trunk." The man's eye widened and he approached Harry quickly. A sorcerer's trunk was the same trunk the fake Mad eye Moody had in his forth year. It was equipped with a bedroom, bathroom, duelling room (practice room), potions room, and a regular wardrobe room.

"Are you sure, young man? It is very expensive and there are many cheaper school trunks," replied the man. Harry rolled his eyes and took out his Gringotts card, which made the man hurry to the back to get the trunk. He returned with the trunk and placed it in front of Harry.

"That would be 6000 galleons, young sir," said the shop manager. Harry gave him his Gringotts card and signed his name. He shrunk his new trunk, put it in his pocket, exited the shop then head for Flourish and Blotts. He entered the shop and started collecting every advanced book he thought he would need on Duelling, Defence, Transfiguration, and Charms. He collected about 300 books, which made the woman on the counter almost faint. They cost him about 15000 galleons and he put them all in his new trunk.

He did not find anything related to Occlumency and Legilimency since they were frowned upon in the wizarding world. His next stop was Madame Malkins where he bought new school robes, two duelling robes and many everyday robes. It was the first time that he would wear new clothes and not the ones previously owned by his whale of a cousin. After purchasing the robes, he thanked the woman and exited the shop.

He looked at the sign before him which read 'Knockturn Alley' and shrugged before proceeding into the alley. He passed by many shops before coming to a bookstore. He slid into the shop and decided to look around for anything helpful. The only books he was interested in were a book on Occlumency and Legilimency, a book on talents and two basic Dark Arts books.

'_It wouldn't hurt to know what I'm up against,' _thought Harry as he purchased the books and left the shop. He was walking back towards Diagon Alley when he noticed a shop that was almost hidden from sight if you weren't looking clearly, and it was a wand shop. He needed another wand in case his other wand was taken from him or he was disarmed in anyway so he entered the shop.

The shop was dusty and there were no wands in sight, only cores and wood. The man stood up and approached Harry, who was still standing by the door looking around in confusion and disgust at some of the cores.

"Are you going to stand there or come inside?" growled the voice of the man.

"I need a wand and I need to lift the tracking spell off my main one," replied Harry firmly, glaring at the man.

"Follow me, then," said the wand-maker and walked to the back of the store. He came back with a potion and handed it to Harry.

"Leave your wand in this potion for a few minutes and the tracking spell will be lifted. For your custom wand, you have to choose the wood and core," said the man, pointing to his collection. "Hold each wood and tell me which one you feel most comfortable with."

Harry held each wood until he found a suitable one and gave it to the man. The wand maker pointed towards the cores and told Harry to hold the wood he chose, which was yew, and send a bit of his magic into the wood. Harry did as he was told and two ingredients glowed leading to the man picking them from their shelves. The wand maker shuddered as he picked up one of the ingredients.

"Eye of demon," breathed the man. "This ingredient is one of its kind, since the demons were banished into another plane thousand years ago. It's very old and has been in my family for years, waiting for the right wand user."

Harry did not even know that demons used to run around thousand years ago and the man started to sound like a mixture of Ollivanders and Binns. The man picked the other ingredient with a shaking hand and put it with the demon's eye in front of him.

"This is a fang of a grim. It is almost impossible to come by and a very powerful ingredient. This wand will be terrifying," exclaimed the man, who looked ready to faint. The word 'grim' reminded Harry of his godfather's animagus form and his heart clenched.

The man applied many spells with his wand on the wood and cores, making them fuse with each other. A few minutes later, he presented a black wand to Harry who took it with awe. The power surge that coursed through him was nothing like he ever felt before, as raw power rush from his magical core to his wand and back.

After admiring his new wand for a few minutes, Harry turned to the man.

"Do you have wand holsters?" Harry asked, satisfied with his new wand. The man nodded his head, took several types of wand holsters and displayed them in front of Harry.

"These are from a Hungarian Horntail hide. It's spelled against summoning and disarming spells," the man pointed at one of the holsters. It was a beautiful black one and Harry decided on buying a pair. "It will merge with your skin as soon as you put it on and if you want to summon it from the holster, just will it out with a flick"

"How much do I owe you?" Harry asked putting on the holsters. The holsters disappeared as he put both wands.

"200 galleons for the wand, potion and holsters, young sir," said the man and Harry gave him the money and exited the shop. He entered Diagon Alley and went through the Leaky Cauldron into the Muggle world. He took a cab to the nearest clothes shop as he needed Muggle clothes.

He arrived 15 minutes later to a shop and paid the driver with Muggle money he transferred before leaving Gringotts and entered the shop. A young woman approached him quickly asking him, "Can I help you?"

"I need a new wardrobe," replied Harry blushing slightly. The woman's eyes lit up and she nodded her head in excitement. Two hours later, Harry left the shop exhausted, about 6000 pounds poorer but very happy and satisfied with his new clothes.

He took a cab back to Privet drive, arriving at 6 pm. He went to his room and unloaded everything in his old trunk, putting them in his new one with the exception of Dudley's clothes, which were sitting on the floor in a pile. Harry took out his new wand and whispered, "_Incendio._"

The power he felt from the wand was unbelievable and the spells did not even leave ashes of the clothes on the floor which Harry was grateful for. He took out the potion and immersed his old wand in it, waiting for a few minutes. The wand glowed red then back to normal, indicating that the tracking spell was lifted.

He tried a few spells with his old wand, since he had to practice control with his new wand before using it frequently. After trying the spells, he read about in his old books, he opened the book about rare talents and began to read. The book was interesting and Harry read until he was exhausted and very tired, so he went to sleep.

* * *

_He was in the Riddle's house, in a cell where a very familiar person was being held. Bellatrix Lestrange was chained to a wall and was surprisingly crying. Harry's scar burned and Voldemort entered the room, followed by Rudolphus Lestrange, a woman he had never seen before and Wormtail. _

"_My dear beautiful Bella," hissed Voldemort. "It is time for your yearly Imperius potion."_

"_Oh my dear wife is crying," mocked Rudolphus condescendingly. "Crying for the mutt you killed?"_

_Bellatrix was shaking from crying and fear. One of the advantages of the imperious potion that made it very powerful and forbidden was that it only needed to be applied once a year; it was far more powerful than the imperious curse ever was. They kept dosing her from her sixteenth birthday when she refused to marry Rudolphus and serve Voldemort.  
_

"_Why are you doing this?" she sobbed. "Isn't it enough that you made me torture people and kill my own family? What more do you want from me?" _

_Voldemort pointed his wand at her and hissed, "Crucio."_

_She was tortured until she was in no condition to move, and Rudolphus made her swallow the potion. Her eyes flashed red for a second then back to blank violet eyes.

* * *

_

Harry woke up shaking from the pain of the Cruciatus and stunned at what he'd observed. He never would have thought that Bellatrix Lestrange would be under imperius, but that explained the change in her eye colour in the Department of Mysteries. He opened one of the books he'd bought named '_Most Potente Potions'_ and searched for the imperius potion. He only found information about the potion and its side effects, but he did not find the directions to make it or its antidote.

**Imperius potion: **

**Use:**It is perhaps one of the most dangerous potions invented. It is used to make the victim's submit to the user's will. The user puts drops of his blood into the potion before applying it by 20 minutes. It lasts a year, which is a very long time for the person applying the potion to make the victim do anything.

**Symptoms: **Change of eye colour, which happens when the victim is trying to fight the potion, and coughing of blood every 12 hours.

Harry cursed Voldemort for ruining everyone's life. He was too angry to work on Occlumency so he decided to leave the Dursley's house. He shrunk his new trunk, put it in his pocket, and searched for anything he would ever need. Finding none, he exited his room and went out of the house.

Harry walked for a few minutes when someone came out of a house the he passed across and called his name.

"Harry," shouted the scientist, Robert Anderson. Harry rolled his eyes and turned to the man. Robert reached Harry and shook his hand, smiling at him.

"Hey Harry. Why don't you come in for tea?" said Robert. Harry was about to protest but the man dragged him inside. Harry readied himself in case it was a trap and was led inside the house.

It was a simple house with the basic living necessities, nothing too fancy or abnormal. It seemed to Harry that most of the scientist's money was spent on something else, rather than furniture or fancy carpets. Robert took him to a lab of some sorts and standing in the middle was a strange looking machine.

"This is the machine I was arguing with myself about, Harry," said Robert wryly. "However, unfortunately, there is something missing that I don't know of. It would have been the greatest achievement in the world for science, but the officials at the research centre kicked me out, saying that I was a waste of resources."

Harry was looking at the machine, trying not to look bored and was trying to stop himself from commenting. He was nice to the man but he hated wasting his time with nonsense. Harry was about to turn and leave when pain from his scar brought him to his knees. Unknown to him, his aura flared and raw power went everywhere destroying glasses but when it came to the machine, everything in the room exploded and darkness embraced Harry.

* * *

AN: fanfiction. net decided to delete my story for chatting, so anything important will posted in my profile. If you would be kind to review again, I would appreciate it.

Regards,

Egyptian Flame


	2. Forged Friendships

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 2: Forged Friendships**

Harry's eyes fluttered open and everything was blurry. He could feel the soft bed he was sleeping on and the very comfortable pillow his head was resting on.

'_Wait a minute,' _though Harry, '_Pillow?' _

He tried to sit up straight but his body was in so much pain that he fell back on the bed again.

"Relax," said a voice reassuringly. The voice was unfamiliar but Harry was too tired to do anything about it. The last thing he remembered was pain in his scar and being dragged somewhere.

"My glasses," said Harry weakly. A shape appeared in his field of vision with something in its hand.

"Drink this potion," said the shape in front of him.

"What is it?" asked Harry weakly but suspiciously. The man in front of him chuckled softly and replied, "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have waited until you are conscious. It's a healing potion for your vision, although I don't know why you haven't used it before."

Harry shrugged and sat up weakly, taking the vial from the hand of the person in front of him and gulping it down in one go. Harry felt as if something cold was put in his eye, but after a few minutes, the feeling subsided. He felt his eyes water for a minute, which made him close his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and was able to see clearly.

"Thank you," said Harry gratefully, observing the person in front of him. He was a boy around his age with black hair that reached his shoulders, and his eyes were a lighter shade of green than Harry's was. He could easily pass for Harry's twin except that Harry was thin, malnourished, and short while the other boy had an athletic body, toned muscles, and was very well fed.

"Where am I?" asked Harry, finally remembering the incident with the scientist. He hoped that Robert was okay, but as he looked around the room, it wasn't anything like Harry had ever seen. The walls were a light blue, the bed he was resting on was silver and green, reminding Harry of Slytherin's colors. The boy sat down on a chair beside Harry's bed and began to talk.

"You are in my house. I was reading a book when a bang echoed through the foundations of my house and then I found you," said the boy conversationally. Harry didn't say anything and motioned for the boy to continue. "You've been asleep for the past three days and were on the brink of death, but thank Merlin I had healing potions. Your owl is flying outside the house and your trunk is downstairs."

"Thank you for saving my life," said Harry gratefully, extending his hand to the other boy. "My name's Harry."

"It was my pleasure, Harry," the boy said, smiling. "I'm Salazar. Salazar Slytherin."

It was as if someone has poured freezing cold water over Harry's head, trying to wake him up from a dream. However, Harry knew that this was not a dream, and that the blasted time machine worked. Apparently, magic was the missing link in Robert's equation, which was a good thing. The bad thing is that the machine was destroyed before Harry lost conscious, so it would mean that Harry had to find another way to go back to his time.

Salazar noticed the colour leaving Harry's face and misunderstood the sign for fear. He sighed heavily and tried to think of something to say to the boy in front of him. Salazar knew that everybody was afraid of his family, since they produced evil wizards faster than a bird could fly. It was the same reason that led Salazar to pack his things, take a _lot_ of money and leave. It was a year ago that these events happened which led him to leave and look for another house away from his family, who cared less that the boy packed his things and left.

His brother, Thanatos Slytherin, was the perfect boy for them. He had excelled in everything and he was now married to a woman from a pureblood family. Although Salazar was exceedingly more powerful than his brother, he hid the fact very well.

Salazar also knew that if his family were aware that he was more powerful than their perfect Thanatos, they wouldn't have let him leave. All the same, he hated torturing people for fun or practicing magic on muggles because they were without it.

"I know that my family produces evil wizards, Harry. But that's the reason I left them in the first place," Salazar said sincerely. "I don't want to be evil and I don't want to torture innocent people. This is why I live alone in this house."

Harry looked at Salazar strangely, before he understood what Salazar took his silence for and grinned slightly. He shook his head and replied, sitting up in his bed. "I'm not afraid of you, Salazar. But it is the fact that I don't have a way to get back to my home is what was bothering me in the first place."

Salazar sighed in relief. Finally, someone was not afraid of him because of his family. Everywhere he went, everybody looked at him with fear in their eyes that Salazar might attack them, which made his life a living hell.

"Where are you from?" asked Salazar "I don't think it's impossible for you to go back. Don't you know how to Apparate?"

Harry decided that there was no need to hide the truth from Salazar, since he will need help in going back to his own time. Thus, he decided to come clean with the truth and just be over with it.

"I'm from the future, Salazar. About a thousand years to be exact," replied Harry grinning, waiting for what he said to sink in. He didn't have to wait for long because Salazar fainted.

It was a few hours later when Salazar woke up to a grinning Harry. It took another few hours for Salazar to accept that his new friend was from the future. However, after he finally accepted that Harry time traveled, he began asking him about the future, which Harry kept his mouth shut about.

"Come on, Harry. Please tell what interesting things will happen in the future."

"For the last time Salazar, it could change the future and I will no longer exist if my future was whipped out," said Harry to the other boy. Salazar took Harry on a tour of the house, which was not much but was nice. It contained a potions lab, a library, a kitchen, and other rooms.

Harry and Salazar sat down and talked about their lives, their past but Harry left things that could in any way change the future, like the name Hogwarts, or anything that Salazar might recognize.

"By the way, how are we talking the same language? I'm talking modern English but you wouldn't know," asked Harry perplexed.

"It's the wonder of a translating spell, Harry."

He told Salazar that there was a dark lord in his time that killed Harry's parents and tried to kill Harry when he was a baby. He told him about growing up at the Dursley's household, and how they treated him. Salazar sneered as Harry continued his tale, an expression of revulsion settling on his aristocratic face.

"Why would they treat you like that," asked Salazar frowning. Nobody would treat their family members like that.

'_Well, maybe mine would,' _thought Salazar bitterly.

"They're muggles, Salazar. They hate anything to do with magic," explained Harry and continued with his story.

He told him about going to a magical school, which made Salazar's eyes light up at the idea. It wouldn't change anything since Salazar had to build Hogwarts with the other founders anyway. He told him about risking his life to save the school from the dark lord every year but he left out what actually happened or what he saved the school from, shuddering at the thought of the basilisk.

Harry told Salazar the prophecy, something that he had kept from his best friends, Ron and Hermione. He felt as if a burden was lifted from his shoulders and he could finally think clearly about it without having to suffer its knowledge alone.

Salazar sat thinking about what he heard from Harry about his life. He wondered why the fates were messing with his new friend's life. Salazar asked Harry about the way he time-traveled and how he came to be here. Harry had told him that it was his magic reacting to a Muggle invention, which was the cause of him being sent thousand years in the past. He finally told Salazar about being a Parselmouth.

"Parselmouth?" said Salazar excited "Are you sure you're not my descendant?"

"No Salazar, I'm not your descendant," assured Harry his friend. He didn't want to tell him that Voldemort was of the Slytherin bloodline. Salazar already hated his family for producing many dark lords in the past but to know that the most powerful dark in history was his own descendant would be dreadful.

"Only my father, my brother, and I can speak Parseltongue. Only the males in the Slytherin family can speak Parseltongue," explained Salazar eagerly. The Slytherin family had prided themselves on being able to speak to snakes. It was perhaps one of the traits that had made the Slytherin family extremely feared, as they controlled deadly snakes or basilisks.

Salazar told Harry about his life, his past, and his family. He told him how he grew up with his family's expectations of surpassing his brother and being a great dark wizard. He told him how his family treated him when he refused to torture an innocent Muggle for fun.

Harry sat captivated by the tale that no one ever knew. As Harry heard about Salazar's life, he vowed to never fully trust anything in a book or trust the history records as Hermione does. Harry felt strangely peaceful as he shared his whole life story with Salazar, something that not even Ron and Hermione fully knew.

They understood each other better, their friendship was growing fast and strong. It was the first time that Harry found a true friend in Salazar and their trust in each other grew every second.

"We have to get you into shape then, Harry. You have an evil idiot to fight and kill," said Salazar sincerely. Harry, for the first time since Sirius died, smiled.

"It's about time I did something about it, Sal," replied Harry, a glint of determination in his eye.

"Sal?" asked Salazar, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," replied Harry grinning. "I can't go round saying Salazar all day, can I? It's too long!"

"Why not," shrugged Salazar playfully, and returned the grin.

* * *

For the first few months of his stay with Salazar, both of them began to run through the woods on one side of Salazar's house. They performed pushups and sit-ups and ran every morning, with the time increasing everyday.

On the other side of Salazar's house was a village where Salazar and Harry bought things to eat. Harry didn't want to live on Salazar's money so he offered his services to help anyone in the village, either helping with some work in a farm or taking care of a pet, child, or any other work he would find. They were suspicious of him at first but soon, they warmed up to him and welcomed his help

He even helped a black smith with making swords and knives, which he found was a very hard work to do. The people in the village liked him a lot but they were still wary of Salazar, although not as much as before. Salazar supplied the village with healing potions in exchange of things he required.

During these months, Harry's body began to develop slightly from being fed normal meals everyday and running many miles with Salazar. He discovered life as he lived with Salazar and performed normal labour tasks like taking care of the garden, cooking, and many other things without the slave-driving presence of Aunt Petunia.

Salazar had a small library that he nicked from his family before leaving to which Harry added his books. They began the first subject of study in their quest for knowledge, which was Occlumency.

When Harry first tried to study Occlumency but he had failed to empty his mind. He realized that Snape had truly made some great damage to his natural shield and though it was repairable, it made Harry's hatred for the man increase.

It took a lot of arguing as Harry continually tried to empty his mind from thought until Salazar had managed help him. Salazar would conjure a white sheet with a black dot surrounded by green ones and tell Harry to stare at the black dot only.

Harry tried to protest but a glare from Salazar managed to do the work. Salazar himself studied Occlumency with Harry but he was able to clear his mind from thoughts quicker than Harry was able to, though he had some troubles with clearing the thoughts of his family.

It took a lot of time for Harry to be able to clear his mind from thoughts and emotions, but in the end, he succeeded in doing so. Between the physical work and their work on Occlumency during the first few months, Harry and Salazar achieved good results.

They managed to organize their minds in a short time, succeeding in the second step of Occlumency and Salazar began to teach Harry one of the things he was exceedingly good at, swordsmanship. The other good thing that Salazar was brilliant at was potions.

Swordsmanship required the discipline of mind to improve, which was why Salazar had waited until Harry learned Occlumency before teaching him any basics and techniques.

They ate, studied, practiced, and did everything together. If anyone saw them, he would think that they were brothers. They studied everything they could their hands on, whether it was potions, spells, charms, Legilimency, Occlumency, runes or rituals.

They managed to master Occlumency after a lot of hard work and began their studies on Legilimency, which was a lot easier with a disciplined mind. Harry taught Salazar every modern spell, charm, or potion he knew from his time while Salazar taught Harry what he did not know of the 'past' spells, which greatly outweighed his modern list.

Salazar taught him about potion ingredients and how and when to put them together, but Harry only learned a certain amount from Salazar and preferred using spells. Both of them were outstanding duelers, but none of them was able to beat the other. They would fly together with their broom at Salazar's house, enjoying themselves despite their hardships.

It was only after a year of Harry's arrival that they managed to finish and master every book in their combined library and Harry had grown strong with a sword, but far from mastering the art. Harry and Salazar celebrated their 17th birthdays together, since Salazar was born on 5th August.

Harry's body became very athletic, toned muscles showed from all the physical work he did, either in the village or with Salazar. Even his friends would have difficulty recognizing him.

They exchanged gifts and Harry was surprised to see that it was the same gift which he had given Salazar, though not the same design. Both of them got the other a magical sword, which was very expensive but since Harry helped the man with the work, he got them at a reasonable price.

The sword Salazar gave Harry was an intricately sculptured solid metal with a dragon handle and a ruby that Harry had previously seen in Salazar's things. However, the sword Harry gave Salazar had a snakehead handle with an emerald inside it, which Harry had to work very hard for with the blacksmith to get.

"Wow," both of them said at the same time, and then laughed.

"What did you do to get one of those, Harry?" asked Salazar teasing. He knew that Harry worked very hard for a few months for the blacksmith but he was touched that Harry had worked extra hard just to get him this sword.

"Just made over 500 swords and 200 knives," said Harry shrugging "It was no big deal." Harry was surprised when Salazar hugged him gruffly, but it took only a second to return the brotherly hug. Both of them had become each other's family in the past year and looked out for each other.

"It is a big deal, Harry. No one had ever done anything like this to me," said Salazar sincerely. "Thank you."

"Thank_ you_ Salazar. You saved me from dying, took me into your home, and gave me the most important thing in my life, a family," replied Harry sincerely. He didn't know how he would be able to return to his time and leave Salazar, a thought that had been on his mind for a long time.

"Harry, we learned all we could learn from the books. It's time to travel around the world, learn new things from new people," said Salazar softly. "There are some tribes who have their own magic, and only teach it to people whom they find worthy. There are a lot of dueling tournaments we could enter and a lot of branches of magic to learn and you can learn different new techniques and styles of a sword."

Harry nodded his head in understanding. There are some things that are not written in books and are too dangerous to be written when used wrongly. In addition, some people preferred to teach their knowledge to only worthy people. He needed knowledge to be able to go back to his time and defeat Voldemort.

Thinking of Voldemort brought Harry's thoughts to his friends. He missed them very much and everyday, he would wonder if they thought he was dead. He looked forward but dreaded the day he would be able to go back to his time. He hated the fact that he had to leave Salazar but knew that he must do that for Voldemort to be born.

"When do we leave?" asked Harry quietly, breaking the silence.

"Tonight."

* * *

**AN: **Constructive reviews are welcome. 


	3. Quest of Knowledge

Disclaimer: Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

Chapter 3:

Another year had passed on as Harry and Salazar traveled around the world seeking knowledge. Their first stop was Egypt, as it was well known that the ancient Egyptians were very knowledgeable magic users. Before they were to learn anything, Harry and Salazar were required to pass several difficult tests and go on several tasks in order for the respect of the Egyptian scholars to be earned.

Harry's hair had reached his shoulders and his body was much more defined than it had been. One of the tasks which Harry and Salazar had to go through was to assassinate an enemy of the pharaoh. Harry was hesitant to do it at first but when he heard the reasoning behind the enmity, it was easier to turn a blind eye and do the task. When they returned, they were welcomed by the pharaoh and rewarded with their training and some gold.

They had stayed for a month, learning how to apply and break wards from the Egyptians along with some blood rituals, which powered the wards, some Egyptian battle spells, and some slight necromancy. They learned how to summon skeletons, banish them and to make them guard but the Egyptians refused to teach them more than that, saying that it would do them no good to play with the forces of death.

They left Egypt more knowledgeable and skilled before heading for their next stop. It was a tribe in Rome who were very efficient in sword fighting. The only task that was required of them was to subdue two dragons that were threatening their tribe and killing its people. However since there was nobody brave enough to handle the two dragons, no one tried to go up against them.

The task was much harder and difficult since the dragons were almost resistant to all magic, but with the cunning of Harry and Salazar, they were able to kill both dragons by the help of some snakes that dwelled near by and by their own sword skills. They spent time perfecting their sword fighting skill with the tribe until they could no longer teach them anything else.

Harry and Salazar took parts in participating in dueling tournaments that were held in secluded locations, and managed to refine their dueling skills to admirable levels. They were held in a coliseum-like building where people came to witness superb duels, whether they were group or individual duels.

One of their stops was a coven of vampires to learn blood magic, since they were masters at this type of magic. It was a very powerful branch of magic and the two travelers wanted to delve in its wonders. However, the only problem was convincing the vampires to teach them blood magic, which was not easy.

Vampires had always thought themselves to be superior to humans, which left a huge task on Harry and Salazar's shoulders to convince the undead creatures to teach them their ways. It was after a lot of convincing that Salazar managed to strike a deal with the elder vampire upon which they would learn the magic.

The task was very hard since the vampires believed that no mortal should learn their blood magic. It was after a lot of exploiting of the weaknesses of the vampires that Salazar had managed to create a potion for them to make them able to reproduce.

It wasn't until the potion was created and tested, that the vampires agreed to teach them blood magic. It was a very powerful magic and a hard one to learn. They learned many uses for the blood magic and were lucky that Salazar managed to create the potion or they would have had to fight their way out of a vampire coven, which was a suicidal thing to do.

One of the hardest groups they had to satisfy was an assassin group called the Black Fang. They were the most skillful group of assassins around and were the masters of stealth, assassin techniques, and knife throwing. They were also the most brutal of all groups. Their test was to walk through a forest and find a house, take the knives that the people left there and return. On the way, one of the group assassins would try kill them, so it was to kill and learn what they had to offer or be killed and thrown to the wolves for food.

Both Salazar and Harry watched each other's back and managed to kill 12 members of the assassins before they succeeded in acquiring the knives and returning. The group agreed to teach them what they had to offer after Sal and Harry. Both travelers had sometimes offered their services to some or individuals in exchange for money or food.

It was in the middle of their traveling year when something occurred that was a blessing to them. They were traveling to where a tribe that was skillful in magic control lived, when they passed a scene that made them turned red with rage.

They found two wizards torturing what it looked like a family of goblins while laughing hysterically. It made Harry flashback to the Death Eaters while Salazar thought of his family. Suddenly, Harry's and Salazar's wands were in their hands in a flash as one of the wizards was about to fire a killing curse at the goblin child.

"Expelliarmus," shouted both of them simultaneously, gaining the attention of the others. The power of the spells was so enormous that it knocked both wizards into a tree, killing them instantly. Salazar muttered what seemed like 'pity' before turning to the goblin family. He took three potions off his belt and gave them to the goblins.

"Drink this, it'll help you heal," said Salazar softly with the help of a translation spell. The goblin family drank the potions and rested for a few minutes. The father of the goblin family stood up shakily and went to Harry and Salazar, limping from tiredness.

"Thank you, wizards. My family is in debt to you," said the goblin, putting both hands on Harry and Salazar's foreheads. Both of them were glowing red for a few seconds until the goblin's hand left their foreheads, leaving both wizards confused.

"This is a gift for saving us. You will be able to understand and eventually speak my language, and learn a small bit of goblin magic, but not much as you are humans," said the goblin in gobbledygook but the wizards understood him perfectly.

They gasped when he told them that they would be able to learn a bit of goblin magic. They were the most powerful magic users when it came to defence magic. Their defences were nearly impossible to break and it would improve their defensive magic immensely.

The goblin took both of their hands and muttered something which left a small tattoo on their wrists in the form of a strange rune. They didn't know what the mark meant but were not concerned about the tattoo.

Their bodies were filled with tattoos back and front from every tribe or people they had learned an art from as almost a sign of graduation. There was a sphinx tattoo on their shoulders from the Egyptians, a bat tattoo on their chest from the vampires, a dragon with a sword in its claws from the tribe they had saved from dragons, a knife with a few red drops under it tattoo from the assassins which signified their training in assassination and now this rune tattoo from the goblin.

"Any goblin will honor you if you show them this mark," said the goblin. The goblin also waved his hand, producing two books written in gobbledygook about the magic of the goblins and one about their language.

Salazar and Harry were stunned since goblins never gave away anything of theirs, whether it was magic or language books. To be trusted with this was an honor to them both and it showed in their glowing faces. The goblin family said goodbye and left as Salazar and Harry went their way.

They arrived at a village somewhere in India and rested for a while before they began searching for the tribe. After eating and drinking, they rented two horses and proceeded out of the village to look for the tribe. They were riding on the horses when they heard someone crying, so they hurried towards the voice.

They found a man comforting a crying woman while some people around them wore grim, grief-stricken faces. Harry and Salazar approached them carefully and slowly with the horses and climbed down off the horses when they reached the tribes people.

"Is everything okay?" asked Harry curiously, looking at the man and woman in front of him. The man looked up at the two young men for a few seconds when suddenly rage and fury overcame him. He turned to them and shouted with rage, "YOU! YOU KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER YOU SICK DARK WIZARDS."

The man began to throw balls of energy at Harry and Salazar who dodged every ball of energy which would kill them if touched. Salazar paled and Harry understood what the man was upset and furious about. The man threw the energy balls in blind rage and it was a miracle, and fit physical pristine, that allowed them to dodge skillfully.

"STOP," yelled Harry. "We didn't kidnap your daughter, nor do we have any relations with the Slytherin family."

"We've just arrived and we mean you no harm," shouted Salazar before dodging another ball of energy heading towards him. The man finally stopped and sank to his knees, tears rolling down his face. Both Salazar and Harry were panting from dodging the fast energy balls, the blood rushing back to their face but thankfully, they weren't hurt.

"We've just arrived here and we mean you no harm," repeated Harry. "We have no relations with the Slytherin family other than the looks. Please believe us, we won't hurt you."

The man sat with his people, and Harry approached Salazar knowing exactly what was on his mind. They had left the Slytherin family in England so it was a surprise that someone from the Slytherin family would travel to India.

"What are they doing here?" asked Salazar quietly "We left them in England a year ago, what business do they have here?"

"I don't know, Salazar. But what I know is that we won't sit around while someone innocent is being tortured. We also need their training and it's the right thing to do. Are you with me, brother?" Harry extended his hand.

Salazar grinned, "You're on."

Both men approached the man, who was sitting with his wife and family, and bowed respectfully. They had learned that they had to bow to any tribe leader for respect before saying a word. The man nodded back stiffly and motioned for the two wizards to talk.

"We will bring your daughter back in exchange for food, shelter, and knowledge," said Salazar formally. He knew that Harry would go anyway, whether they had food or not, but he knew that they had to reach an agreement with the tribe leader if they ever wanted to learn their magic.

The man nodded his head and replied, "Bring my daughter back and you will get what you want, wizards."

Harry and Salazar learned the directions for the kidnapper's location, and the name of the daughter, Ania. They then proceeded to find whoever kidnapped the leader's daughter. Salazar was sure that it was Thanatos, his brother, who kidnapped the daughter of the tribe's chief, but as the Slytherin family was huge, they couldn't know for sure. They walked for a few days, looking for a place where the kidnapper would be residing when they finally reached a mansion.

"Harry, you bring down the wards and I will take care of any traps or guards," said Salazar urgently.

Salazar sneaked stealthily up to the guards and killed them with knives and arrows, leaving Harry free to do his work. On the other side of the mansion, Harry closed his eyes and began to feel the wards around the mansion, trying to decipher which ones were linked to the house itself and which ones were linked to the house owner.

It was impossible to bring down the wards that were linked with the mansion's owner without alerting him so he decided on doing this mission as stealthily as possible. He brought down the anti-apparation wards and some defensive wards linked to the house itself, and then proceeded to confuse the wards that were linked to the owner, so that it would think they were animals.

As he finished his work, he panted heavily from the excess use of magic. He felt dizzy as it took vast amounts of magical power to bring down wards of a mansion of this size alone, not to mention it was not easy to stealthily bring them down.

He took out a vial of energizing potion which would give him energy for a few hours, this was essential in order to complete their mission. Harry was sneaking inside the walls when he saw a basilisk lying lazily on the floor. He readied his wand and sword to attack when the basilisk hissed at him.

"_Master Slytherin gave you permission to enter. Proceed, wizard."_

Harry was stunned that Salazar was able to convince the basilisk to let them enter but hissed thanks and proceeded inside the mansion. He caught up with Salazar, who was disabling an alarm on a passageway that lead to the dungeons. Harry nodded to him, indicating that he did as planned and began to help Salazar disable the traps and alarms. Unfortunately, things were not meant to be as a voice came from behind them.

"What do we have here?" said a cold voice, making them both turn. Harry was trying to know who the man was with legilimency when Salazar spoke hissing coldly and sneering.

"Hello dear brother. How is the family?"

"Salazar, the black sheep of our family and my dear baby brother," said Thanatos Slytherin, a taunting sneer plastered across his face. Harry took the opportunity to sneak into the dungeons, disabling some traps in his way before he reached the holding cell.

He found a couple of dead bodies in a cell and an almost dead one in another. He approached the barely living figure and whispered, "Ania?"

The girl looked about 15 years old and had apparently been tortured mercilessly. Ania nodded with tears in her eyes, and Harry took out his wand. He began throwing every curse-breaking spell he'd learned, trying to bring the spells and wards on the door down. It took Harry around ten minutes of continuous casting to finally bring the wards on the door down and opened it with a simple 'Alohomora'

He entered the cell and carried Ania in his arms, giving her the healing potions that Salazar had supplied him with, one after the other. After making sure that the girl was not near death anymore, he carried her and searched for a way out. He found none so he sighed and walked the way he came in from, hoping that Salazar was okay.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Salazar dueling his brother and another wizard who Harry assumed was the mansion owner. Harry settled Ania down and took out his wand, joining the duel, and sending curses and hexes towards the mansion owner, leaving Salazar to duel his brother.

Harry proceeded to duel, sending various curses very quickly, and dodging anything that returned at him. When he was exhausted, Harry decided to end his duel as quick as possible. He summoned the man to him, making him fly very quickly and into an effective punch, sending the man to unconsciousness.

Salazar took advantage of Thanatos' distraction when the mansion owner was defeated and disarmed him. He proceeded to walk towards his brother and pointed his wand at him.

"_Avada Ked…," _hissed Salazar but Harry took hold of Salazar's wand before he completed the killing curse.

"No Salazar, don't kill him," said Harry firmly. Salazar glared at him but lowered his wand. Harry waved his wand and ropes appeared and wrapped themselves around Thanatos, binding him completely.

"Why didn't you let me kill him?" Salazar said coldly, glaring at Harry. Harry returned the glare full force and replied in the same tone.

"There was no use Salazar, he was disarmed."

Harry went back to Ania, carried her up in his arms again, and proceeded outside. Salazar followed him, still furious that he had lost the chance to kill his brother. They rode for a day then camped to regain their strength before continuing their journey.

They arrived at the tribe's head hut and were welcomed with a cheer of joy at the sight of the chief's daughter alive. The mother cried as she held her daughter in her arms while the tribe leader bowed and shook their hands with a big smile on his face.

"Thank you wizards. You are welcome to stay and learn our magic, for you are certainly worthy of it," said the tribe chief and invited them for dinner. Harry and Salazar did not talk to each other for a week because of what happened in the mansion.

Salazar was still fuming that Harry had stopped him from killing one of his family members who caused him pain and misery. Harry was equally furious that Salazar wanted to kill an unarmed man who happened to be his brother, even though he was an evil wizard. It was only after a week that Salazar finally apologized and the two were fine with each other again.

They spent a month and a half with the tribe where their leader taught Harry and Salazar how to control their magic and manipulate it. Unfortunately, they could only learn the techniques on how to begin taking control of their magic and pushing it outside their body with enough manipulation. The process had to be practiced until the user gained control over his magic, which was not something to be taught.

Salazar was taught a few potions from some of the people of the village. After a month and a half, their stay ended. They acquired a tattoo, a staff with a snake wrapped around it with its head resting on the head of the magnificent cane.

They traveled for weeks, learning random spells and potions from people they meet, doing arbitrary jobs here and there. They gathered a lot of gold from some of the tasks and jobs they performed for tribes or people they met during their trip.

They went to a very well known tribe in Greece, which was famous for their bond with animals. They welcomed Harry and Salazar into their tribe after they learned that both wizards were snake-speakers. The tribe cherished animals, took care of them, and learned about them and their magic. Harry and Salazar stayed with the tribe for a month, learning about various animals and their nature.

They were taught a different form of being an animagus. Instead of forcing your inner animal to change you into your destined form, a real animal would choose the wizard, become one with the wizard by bonding with them and then the wizard would gain the animagus form of said animal.

The animagus transformations in the future depended on the wizard changing by his inner animal, thus gaining no characteristics of the chosen animal but just its form. After a month of practicing their magic and learning about the animals, Harry and Salazar left the tribes equipped with a new magic that would help them in their future and the tattoos of their forms on their back.

Their last stop was a village in Scotland. It was the name of the village that told Harry that their trip was ending. They settled in an inn, resting from their long trip from Greece. Their journey of knowledge was a huge success as they gathered important knowledge from some very stubborn people.

They were eating breakfast together when they heard two witches and a wizard about their age talking at the table next to them. They were talking about a topic that made Salazar's face light up and excited Harry a little. They were talking about building a school to help gifted children learn magic.

Due to Salazar's excitement, his aura flared around him but not visibly. Only an aura reader would be able to see an aura of a wizard, which is why when Salazar's massive aura flared, one of the witches sitting at the next table cried in agony from the massive light that attacked her eyes. The eyes of an aura reader were usually very sensitive to bright lights.

"Salazar," yelled Harry warningly, "calm down, there is an aura reader here, and your aura isn't helping." Salazar calmed down immediately and kept a tight leash on his aura, making the witch relax from the pain. They went to the two witches and the wizard and Salazar gave a pain-relieving potion to the girl.

"I'm sorry about my aura. I was excited about something and usually when I get excited, I tend to release my aura," said Salazar sincerely.

The pretty girl who was in pain moments ago smiled kindly at him and replied, "It was my fault. I thought that since the place wasn't crowded, I could afford not to restrain my gift. I'm Helga Hufflepuff by the way."

They shook hands and Helga invited them to sit at their table. Helga had blond hair, light blue eyes and a petite body. Harry got their things and sat down, excitement filling him at the prospect of meeting the future founders of Hogwarts. Salazar was the first to speak. "My name is Salazar Slytherin and this is my best friend Harry."

"I'm Rowena Ravenclaw, it's nice to meet you both," said Rowena with a grin, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She was a very beautiful girl; she had midnight black hair, grayish blue eyes, and a lean body.

The other wizard introduced himself as well. He was very well built, with dark red hair and brown eyes. "I'm Godric Gryffindor. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I couldn't help but overhear you talk about wanting to build a school, which was what made me excited by the way. I've always wanted to build a school for children to learn magic instead of apprenticing or learning from their _family,_" said Salazar , pronouncing the last part with a bitter tone, which went unnoticed by all except Harry.

"The only problem is the lack of land and magical skill. Between the five of us, the magical skill problem is solved. However, where can we find a land to build the school on?" asked Godric thoughtfully. Harry thought that he could ease the process of looking for a land for them and replied. "There is a large piece of land not far from here. We could purchase it and build the school on it."

"But that land would cost a lot of money, and we don't have much of that either," said Rowena with a sigh.

Salazar leaned over and spoke softly in Harry's ear. "How did you know where the land would be, Harry?"

Harry glared at Salazar for daring to say such a thing with the other people sitting beside them but he still replied, whispering softly. "It is one of the things that I told you I can't tell you about, Salazar."

Sal's eyes widened at what Harry was implying but smiled fully, earning himself confused looks from the other three. He looked at them and replied, "We have enough money to buy the land where the school would be built." The eyes of the other three widened but grinned at each other.

They finished their lunch and went to the property owner to see about the land being bought. It was a strange moment for Harry, seeing the lake, forest and Hogsmeade but no castle. After a lot of convincing and bargaining, the man finally decided to sell them the land with money, which cost almost all Salazar's and Harry's money. Thus, the five teens began the plan to build the school that would be Harry's favourite home in one thousand years.


	4. Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 4:**

Harry was sleeping in his bed the next day when he sensed someone in the room. They had built temporary huts on the grounds until they built Hogwarts, instead of spending money on rooms that they would have occupied for years. Awareness was something that the assassins had taught him so that he may be alert if someone tried to kill him in his sleep. They had taught him to extend his awareness for twelve feet around him to sense if there was anyone in the same room as him and he had continued to expand the distance every time he meditated or fell asleep. He always slept with a dagger in a wrist holster in one arm and his wand in another.

Harry was aware that Salazar knew better than to sneak up on him in his sleep and he knew what Salazar's aura felt like well enough to know that this wasn't it. He heard a sigh then a soft hand approached his face but before it could touch, Harry had the person under him, with a dagger to the attacker's neck and his wand quivering. He blinked when he saw Rowena's frightened face look up at him then at the dagger that was so close to her neck that it almost touched her skin. Harry sheathed his dagger and re-holstered his wand with a sigh, practicing occlumency to calm his thundering heart.

"Don't ever sneak up on me like that again, Rowena. I almost killed you," breathed Harry, calming down a little. Rowena shivered she felt his hot breath on her face but Harry did not notice. She admired his bare chest and blushed when she realized that Harry was sleeping in only his boxers.

"Good morning to you too," said Rowena sarcastically. Harry grinned down at her and looked outside his room. It was still night and with a wave of his wand, the time appeared in front of him.

5:30 a.m.

"Harry, I know you'd like me to be under you but I'm having trouble breathing," teased Rowena, making Harry blush. He stood up and realized that he was only wearing his boxers and his blush deepened, making Rowena laugh. He waved his wand and his clothes flew to him and with another wave, he was dressed in them.

"Why the hell are you waking me up at five in the morning?" groaned Harry.

Rowena blushed from her place on his bed and murmured, "Godric and Helga forgot to cast silencing charm on their room so I couldn't sleep."

"What do you mean silencing ch- oh," said Harry as realisation dawned. He did not know that they were a couple as they had not shown any form of affection in front of him.

"We're so going to create our own secret chambers. It's hell when they forget the silencing charm and don't warn me so I start on walking in on them." She shuddered as she remembered walking in on them at one time when they were travelling together. Harry's eye widened a bit when Rowena mentioned secret chambers but did not say anything.

"You didn't answer my question. Why the hell did you wake me up?" said Harry and conjured himself a cup of coffee.

Rowena blushed again and replied, smiling innocently, "I was bored."

Harry glared at her from behind his coffee, making her giggle. She couldn't stop thinking about Harry's eyes and chest, this in itself caused a blush to appear on her face again but this time Harry noticed.

"And why are you blushing Ms. Ravenclaw?" teased Harry with a chuckle, making Rowena go crimson. She took out her wand and proceeded to hex him.

"Come on, Row, I was only joking," said Harry, dodging Rowena's hex. She stopped and raised an eyebrow, much like Salazar's reaction when he called him Sal but not exactly the same reaction.

She pounced on him, successfully pinning him on the ground and growled, her lips near his, "Don't call me Row." Harry grinned, pecked her quickly on the lips and disappeared from under her, appearing a few meters away.

"You're going to die, Harry." She got her wand again and sent a few hexes his way. He dodged all except one, which caught Salazar as he entered Harry's room, making his nose bigger. He saw Harry hiding behind a table and jumped towards him, hiding from the angry witch.

"What the hell did you do, brother?" Salazar asked. Harry explained quickly as he dodged Rowena's curses and Salazar laughed gruffly. Salazar fixed his nose and Harry sent sparks, making Rowena stop for a second.

"Okay, I'm very sorry Rowena," said Harry. He gave her the most adorable puppy dog eyes he could muster, which made her giggle and her face soften.

"If you ever do that again, Harry, I will hex you so much that you won't be able to reproduce again," said Rowena dangerously, making both of them wince and Harry gulp. She grinned and went to the door, turning before she left and said grinning, "You're going down, Harry."

Salazar turned to Harry and said chuckling, "Don't mess too much with her, Harry. You'll only shorten your life span." He laughed as Harry threw a pillow at him. Salazar headed for his room "I'm going back to sleep, Harry. Try a silencing charm please."

Harry went outside and saw Rowena sitting at the edge of the lake, staring at the stars. He approached stealthily and sat down behind her, admiring her beauty, which seemed to be ethereal as the moonlight fell on her face. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder, which made her jump, but relaxed when she saw that it was Harry.

"I'm sorry," said Harry, "I have no experience when dealing with beautiful ladies." She nodded her head and relaxed in Harry's embrace, relishing the warmth of his body and blushing when she heard what he said.

"You think I'm beautiful, Harry?" asked Rowena softly.

"I've never imagined I would see anything beautiful in my life," said Harry, "but you proved me wrong, Row." She turned in his embrace and locked his lips with her own. Harry felt electric as the passionate kiss endured. Harry never thought kisses such as this was possible since his wet kiss with Cho in his fifth year.

"Wow," breathed Harry

"Wow," echoed Rowena.

They kissed again, this time the passion spread like fire in their bodies. The kisses lasted for a while and when they broke it again, they were in need of breath. They sat in each other's arms, watching the sunrise and talking about their lives. Harry decided to tell her what he'd told Salazar since he needed her help in going back to his time. To his surprise, tears were spilling down her face as she learned that he was from the future and about his destiny.

"So that's why you didn't mention your last name," Rowena said as she calmed down. "But… I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to, Rowena, but I have a duty to my friends and family and my place isn't here," Harry replied softly.

* * *

It took them five years of hard work to build the school and Harry still hadn't mentioned anything about his time travelling to Godric and Helga. One would have thought that they would ask about his last name by now or his past but thankfully, their attention was elsewhere. 

Salazar and Harry invested in some companies and shops that were which Harry knew would be prosperous in the future. Harry was surprised when he encountered goblins who were building what would be Gringotts bank. They were very respectful when they saw Harry's tattoo that the goblin he saved had given him. Harry invested in the bank, which the goblins were grateful for since they needed money to build the bank.

Rowena had worked on creating a spell to send Harry to his own time and, much to her dismay, she was making progress with it. Their relationship had flowered in the past five years and Harry knew in his heart that he loved Rowena and that Rowena loved him. Salazar watched with sadness as his brother's time was almost up, it was only a matter of time until Rowena succeeded in creating the spell.

It was with glowing pride that the 25 year old Harry Potter stood in front of the newly built Hogwarts along with his best friends, his brother and girlfriend. Godric and Helga had married and had a boy that they named Artemis and Salazar had a girlfriend named Gwen, who he was very much in love with. Harry stood with his arms around Rowena, watching the magnificent castle, which he never thought he would help build.

He assumed that it took more than five years when only four people built it and his knowledge of every secret passage excited him to no end. There was a secret passage to practically everywhere and every one of them created a secret chamber and kept the whereabouts hidden.

Even Harry had created a secret chamber for himself where he put all the books he had acquired through his journeys and some books he wrote himself about what he learned during his and Salazar's trips. It was when they were discussing the system which the school would be following that Harry decided to come clean with his secret. They were discussing making houses and sorting their favourite students in them.

"I'm going to take the brave and fearless students in my house," said Godric proudly, adjusting his hat.

"And I'm going to take the cunning and ambitious" said Salazar.

"The bright and smart scholars will be mine," said Rowena from her place in Harry's lap.

"Figures."

"Shut up Salazar."

"And I will take the loyal and the hard working. Every body has equal chance of learning magic in my eyes."

"What about you, Harry?" asked Godric. Rowena felt Harry tense and knew why.

"I can't have a house."

"Of course you can. You are the fifth founder of this school, you must have a house and choice of students," said Helga, shifting Artemis in her arms. Salazar and Rowena exchanged a look, wondering how he was going to respond.

"I think it's time I tell you where I come from and about my past," said Harry softly and began to tell his tale. By the time Harry had finished, Helga was pale and Godric was fuming with anger.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us?" yelled Godric. "We're your friends for Merlin's sake. We trusted you and this is how you repay us? Was this all a lie? You have no idea how I feel right now, Harry." Salazar had had enough of Godric's shouting and stood up.

"Sit down Gryffindor!" Salazar yelled, his voice laced with venom. Godric sat down in shock. In the five years they had known Salazar, he had never raised his voice or shouted at anyone. For the first time since Harry knew Salazar, he saw him with tears in his eyes. Salazar was never the one to show emotions and never cried in front of Harry or behind his back and to see his friend and brother like this stunned Harry.

"Sit down and shut up Gryffindor. You know nothing. Rushing blindly into everything! _You_ are the one who has no idea how _I_ live knowing that my brother will leave any day. I've known Harry, lived with him, practiced with him, laughed with him for almost ten years. HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL?" yelled Salazar, tears freely falling on his face. "How do you think Rowena feels when she's been developing a spell that would send the only person she ever loved away from her? Don't ever believe that you're hurt more than us you selfish ass."

Godric sat astonished as Salazar finished talking. He had never thought about what Salazar and Rowena might feel about the situation, knowing that the person they care about the most was going to leave them. Harry went and hugged Salazar, as he never realized how much pain his friend and his girlfriend were in about him leaving. He then went and hugged Rowena, who was crying and shaking. He rubbed her back and murmured soothing words to her every now and then. Rowena shook her head, which was still in his chest and looked at him in the eye.

"Rowena, we talked about this. You know I have a duty to my people and you know what would happen if I stayed and left them without protection. And we still have a lot of time till you finish creating the spell," said Harry softly, kissing his girlfriend's forehead.

Rowena cried harder and Salazar paled. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Salazar's grim face looking at him and said something that made Harry's blood turn ice.

"She's already created the spell."

* * *

They applied the wards on the school after a week of building it. Harry was amazed at the defences that the school had and knew why Dumbledore put a lot of faith in them. Salazar and Harry added blood wards on the school, along with every ward they knew. Harry came up with an idea when they were applying the wards to defend against Dementors. However, the only problem was that it had to be triggered by a spell which Harry created, so Dumbledore could not have known anything about this ward. In addition, when Harry was studying the wards, he realized that the headmaster of the school would only carry a small amount of wards, so there was no immediate danger should the headmaster of the school die. 

Salazar and Harry performed two rituals during the time they were building the school. One of the rituals was to drastically increase their magical power, which Harry was grateful for and the other ritual was one that meant the whole world to Harry.

The second ritual made Harry and Salazar blood brothers. They were capable of knowing what the other was feeling and were capable of sharing anything from magical knowledge to regular memories. Harry refused to share his regular memories with Salazar since it could change Harry's future if Salazar knew anything and they could even share magical power if they desired.

The five friends and founders of the school had cast a spell on the school which made the school sentient. The main wards were tied to Hogwarts herself so it would be impossible for anyone to bring them down. They finished casting the wards after two weeks, which was a record since the five wizards were practically living on energy potions. It was dangerous but it was the only way for them to finish on time.

After a while, Godric apologized to Salazar and Harry for his behaviour and they gladly accepted. Salazar and Harry were sitting in the chamber of secrets, which only they knew about, discussing what Harry was going to do when they have enough energy to cast the time spell.

"Harry, I want to come with you," said Salazar suddenly.

"You cannot come with me, Salazar. Firstly, it's not your time and secondly you have a bloodline to carry on which would create changes in the future if you don't have a kid," explained Harry softly, wishing it was that easy. Salazar sat thinking for a while before he said something which made Harry's eyes widen.

"He's my heir." Harry did not reply and looked the other way which confirmed Salazar's statement. Salazar sighed and stood up, venting out his frustration on the wall.

"It's not fair," yelled Salazar, hitting the wall repeatedly.

"No one said life is fair, Sal. I hate the fact that I have to leave you here but it is not in my hands to decide. It's not easy for me to leave you or Rowena but it's what I have to do." said Harry, putting a hand on Salazar's shoulder. Salazar sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. Suddenly Salazar stood up grinning and ran out of the Chamber.

When Harry saw Salazar's grin, he knew that something bad was going to happen. He wanted to know what Salazar was planning but he knew his friend would not tell him even if it meant his death. When Salazar decided to plan something, no one would be able to find out what it was until it happened.

It took the five friends three months to regain their energy to cast the time spell that would take Harry to his time. It required the traveller to have something that tied him to the time he was travelling to or the spell would not work. Harry had put everything in his secret chamber at Hogwarts along with a powerful preservation charms on them and locked the room with his own password. The others were out on the grounds waiting for him and he did not want to make them wait longer than necessary, thus making the pain of leaving them increase. Salazar was the first one to reach him when he came out and gave him a potion.

"Harry, this potion will make you de-age physically to the age which you came here. It would be gone by the time you reach the same age again in your time or if you cancel it," Salazar said before hugging him tightly. Helga was next and she embraced him warmly, tears streaming down her face.

"I'll miss you my friend," Helga said while releasing him. She took a pendant from around her neck and put on Harry's, and kissed his forehead.

"It will protect you and it's something for you to remember me by," Helga said and hugged him again. Harry touched the pendant and felt warmth enter his heart. He felt the sibling love that he'd always longed for. He had tears in his eyes and for the first time, he regretted going back to his time. Godric stepped forward, hugged Harry gruffly and gave him a ring.

"I'm touched Godric but you're already married," said Harry, making Godric roll his eyes and the others laugh.

"This ring will enable you to enter my mansion. I've keyed it so that the only way to enter the mansion is by this ring. I want you to live there," said Godric. Harry was touched by what Godric went through for him to do this and hugged the other man.

"Thank you Godric, you don't know how much this means to me," replied Harry softly.

"It's the least I could do for family, Harry." Godric said, making Harry smile, feeling touched and moved by what Godric said. Harry took out his sword, which he knew he couldn't take with him and passed his hand on the sword, triggering an illusion rune inscribed on the sword and disabling another which made anyone able to use it. There were many runes on it, one to keep it sharper, one to keep it light for its user, one that made only Harry can use it and one for illusion, which Harry added recently. The illusion changed the name from Harry Potter to Godric Gryffindor, which made the others frown, and Godric look at Harry in confusion.

"Why did you inscribe my name, Harry?" said Godric confused at his action. Harry gave the sword to Godric and smiled.

"Keep it safe for me, Godric," said Harry softly. "I'll look out for it in the future."

Godric smiled and accepted the sword, putting it in its sheath. He turned to Rowena, who, surprisingly, was smiling, as if Harry had changed his mind and decided to stay, which made Harry confused. Rowena stepped forward and kissed him passionately on the lips, which he returned, wrapping his arms around her waist. They pulled apart and Harry said softly "You are not making it easier for me to leave, Row." Rowena embraced him tightly in a hug, which Salazar joined.

"We'll see you soon, my brother"

Before Harry registered these words, the spell was performed and he disappeared in a flash of blinding white light. He appeared and the implications of what they said, dawned on him.

"Oh shit."

**TBC…**


	5. Return and Rescue

Chapter 5: _**Return and Rescue**_

Harry cursed in different languages as he realized what Salazar had planned to do. He only hoped that Salazar would marry and have a baby or it will be the end of Harry's future. He now knew why Salazar had insisted on performing the blood brothers ritual and cursed the cunning of his friend.

The spell required that the caster or the one on the receiving end of the spell to have any ties with the time he wanted. Salazar had a blood bond that would enable him to travel to Harry's time easily, but Harry wondered about Rowena.

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts, leaving the problem until it presents itself in the future. He looked around him and noticed that he was in the ruins of the scientist's house. He waved his wand and muttered 'Tempus' to determine the time. It was October 15, 1996. He sighed in relief, seeing that he landed in the right timeline but his eyes widened as he saw the date. He was missing since the first half of July, just after the will reading. He wondered if the order and his friends were looking for him or not, seeing that he was away for four months.

He moved out of the house, his trunk in his pocket and Hedwig on his shoulder, but the realization that the scientist died in the explosion hit him. He felt his bond with Salazar de-activate and his link with Voldemort come alive again. What he liked and hated about the bonds of Salazar and Voldemort that they remained even through the massive time travel he went through.

Building up his mental walls, Harry blocked the link from being used or detected by Voldemort, something he learned during his travels with Salazar. Sadly, he found no spell, potion or ritual that would cut the link and the only way of removing it was by killing one of the linked wizards.

"Well, I still have time before announcing myself," Harry said before closing his eyes in concentration and bringing his both hands together, as if praying. With a few murmured sentences, a glow appeared in front of his eyes and began to take shape.

After a few minutes, a raven solidified in front of his eyes and cooed softly. Harry smiled and rubbed the raven's chest for a few moments before taking out his wand. The raven was a result of a successful summoning, an art that Harry had learned throughout his studies with different tribes.

It enabled the caster to summon a creature to do what he wanted. The larger the creature, the harder the summoning would be on the caster and the farther the creature's place, the harder to summon. Harry decided on a raven since they were the next creatures after owls that would deliver a message. He decided to write a letter, to settle his friend's worry over his death so they would expect his return.

_Dear Old Man,_

_Do not lose hope yet. When courage's weapon is on fire and the walls are excited, it will mark my arrival. _

_Mischief managed._

Harry knew that Dumbledore would understand what Harry was talking about in the letter, but he could not risk letting Voldemort know of Harry's survival yet. He tied it to the raven's leg, which gave a bow to Harry and flew away. It was 7 p.m. so Harry decided to plan a rescue that occupied Harry's mind since he time-traveled to the past. He placed Godric's ring on his finger and tapped it with his wand, saying the activation password.

"Take me to Ancient and Powerful House of Gryffindor."

He arrived in front of a gate of a castle, which Harry had only visited once in the past. The gate was adorned with Griffins, rubies and surprisingly a statue of a Dragon with a lightning bolt on its chest on one side and a basilisk on the other side. It was the first time that he had ever seen this symbol and assumed that Godric had put it after he left. He touched the lightning symbol with his wand and waited. He did not have to wait long when a voice echoed around him, coming from the Griffins.

"Enter Lord Harry, friend of Gryffindor."

Harry chuckled at Godric's use of sentient guardians. It was a spell that Harry picked up during his travels and had taught it to Godric. It was an advanced form of animation, which enables the caster to give the animated object other properties beside the obvious ones. He entered the castle grounds and looked around, admiring the beauty of the gardens. It was filled with lilies, roses, and lavenders. Entering the castle, he was greeted by a house elf.

"Good evening, sir. I is Blinky at your service," said the house-elf bowing to Harry.

Harry smiled at the house-elf and replied, "Hello Blinky, my name is Harry. It's nice to meet you." The house-elf's smile grew at Harry's reply and he mentally thanked Godric for freeing the house-elves, who refused to stop serving the Gryffindor family even after they were freed.

"I will have a tour of the castle, Blinky. Can you please unpack my things in the master bedroom?" Harry asked smiling kindly at the little elf. Blinky bowed and disappeared with his trunk and Harry was relieved that the house-elves still occupied the castle, as he did not want to take care of the huge castle by himself.

Although he had toured the castle in the past with Godric, he had missed the homey feeling it gave him when his other friends were with him. After a long tour, he settled in a study trying to come up with a plan to capture Bellatrix or rescue her if she was still imprisoned in the dungeons he saw in his dream. He doubted that Voldemort would imprison her after applying the imperious potion but since it was Voldemort, everything was possible.

After a few hours, he went to sleep purposely allowing the link to activate. He needed to know where Bellatrix was imprisoned, what he came up with was considered the most dangerous and stupid plan to complete. He was going to use legilimency on Voldemort to find the place. He found himself in the same room he was in before, this time Bellatrix was not the only person tied up. He was surprised that after four months, that Bellatrix was still tied up in the same position, in spite of being fed the imperious potion. The other person was in the dark so Harry was unable to find out their identity.

"_Bella," hissed Voldemort. "I don't know how the traitor, Severus, was able to give you the counter potion to the Imperius potion, but he was killed for it. You will be mine, I assure you. I will have it brewed again and you will obey your rightful lord. You will not be able to escape the Malfoy manor, Bella, so don't even try." _

_Voldemort laughed maniacally as Bellatrix's anger appeared on her face. He turned to the other prisoner and hissed "And you, my pet, will be the right tool for the ritual." He left the dungeon cell but not without minutes of Cruciatus to both prisoners. _

Harry woke up with a start, sweating as the dream ended. He cursed when he heard that Snape was killed trying to give Bellatrix the antidote. What confused him was Snape giving Bellatrix the antidote. Moreover, did Dumbledore even know the circumstances behind his spy's death?

He deactivated the link and thanked Merlin that Voldemort was stupid enough to tell the place. The only problem would be the wards surrounding the manor, which would present a problem. He was thinking on how to find the Malfoy Manor when an idea popped into his head.

"Dobby!" As he said the word, the little elf appeared in front of him. Dobby's eye widened and he was hugging Harry's leg in a flash.

"I knew that master Harry Potter sir was not dead as everyone said. I is glad to see you alive, Mr. Harry Potter sir," said the excited elf jumping up and down in front of Harry.

"It's good to see you too, Dobby. I missed you," said Harry kindly, patting the elf on the head. Dobby's eyes widened again and he hugged Harry's leg again.

"Sir is too kind to Dobby. What will Harry Potter require from Dobby?" said the house-elf.

"Dobby I need your help in rescuing someone. And the place where the person is held is your old home." Harry explained to the elf, hoping that he would help him. Dobby's eyes held fear in them as he remembered the Malfoy family and their treatment.

"I need you to take me there, Dobby. You won't stay long at the place, just take me there and leave again," said Harry reassuringly, patting the elf's shoulder. Dobby nodded his head and replied, "I is going to take you there, Harry Potter sir."

Harry sighed as Dobby told him his answer. He was glad, since Dobby was able to bypass the wards on the house since he was an elf. Harry took out his wand and summoned his battle robes, readying himself for any confrontation.

He decided that during the night was a good time to attempt the rescue mission. He looked at his watch and waited until it was 2 a.m. to begin the rescue. He wanted to avoid facing Voldemort in a ground where he would be at a disadvantage. He waved his hand, wandlessly summoning a nearby book towards him, something that resulted from his control on his magic.

Harry's control on his magic increased during the years he spent with the other founders, making him succeed in casting simple basic spells, like the Lumos or summoning charms without a wand. However, after performing the ritual to increase his magic, he had to practice more control to perform any other spells wandlessly.

Currently, he could perfectly perform summoning, banishing and the Lumos charms successfully but he vowed to work on increasing his control, something which Dumbledore and Voldemort were good at. When the watch rested on two, Harry called Dobby who was in the kitchen with the other elves, preparing to leave for Malfoy Manor

"It's time, Dobby. Take me inside the Manor and I will go from there," said Harry to the little elf who grabbed his hand, preparing for the travel. They disappeared from the Gryffindor castle and reappeared in an empty room that contained dusty items.

"The Dungeons are down the stairs across the hall, Master Harry Potter sir. Dobby is going to wait until Harry Potter summons Dobby again for leaving," said Dobby and snapped his fingers, disappearing to thin air. Harry sighed and prepared for a long night. He disillusioned himself and opened the door, looking around for any Death Eaters. He found two Death Eaters who he identified as McNair and Dolohov, guarding the stairs leading two the dungeons. The two Death Eaters were talking to each other and laughing quietly, not paying attention to anything else around them.

'_Well, no one is crazy enough to enter the Headquarters of the Death Eaters voluntarily,' _Harry thought as he approached the two wizards, still disillusioned. He took out both wands and with a wave and spells later, both wizards fell on the floor stunned. Harry passed them and proceeded down the stairs to the Dungeon, encountering booby traps and wards that responded to the Dark Marks. He worked fast as he brought down the wards and dispelled the booby traps, knowing that the stunning of the Death Eaters will be noticed soon.

After what seemed like eternity, Harry arrived at the cell which the prisoners in his dreams where held. He pointed his wand at the cell door and murmured. "_Invenio Externus intentio." _

The cell door glowed red, indicating wards and traps on the door. He pointed his wand at the door again, this time to try to bring down the wards.

"Perfringo claustrum Magicka." The door turned black, indicating the success of the spell.

"Solvo tectum." Another ward was broken. Harry cursed as his performed the spell.

'_The damn cell door has more wards on it than the Ministry of Magic,'_ thought Harry angrily. The spells he was performing on the door were capable of bringing moderate and some powerful wards in one go, but Voldemort was being careful after Snape tried to free Bellatrix and had applied his power into the wards. He pointed his wand again at the door one last time and muttered. "Neco substantia Magicka."

The door groaned and the rest of the wards were brought down, leaving Harry panting heavily. With an 'Alohomora', the cell door opened, allowing Harry entrance to the cell. Bellatrix and the other person were tied at the end of the cell, and they looked to be sleeping. Harry waved his wand, relieving both prisoners from their chains, waking them up with a start.

"Please don't hurt me," Bellatrix mumbled and curled into a ball. Harry bent down beside her and took her in his arms, something that surprised the other witch. Seeing that Harry forgot to take the de-aging potion, Bellatrix was terrified when she saw him.

"James Potter," she mumbled before crouching in a ball again. Harry sighed and went to the other prisoner. It was a girl that Harry had seen before but never talked to her. Her name was Blaise Zabini, a quiet, shy, and beautiful Slytherin that he had classes with, but never interacted with her.

"Blaise, I'm here to get you out. Don't worry," said Harry soothingly. It seemed that luck was not on his side. Blaise backed away, muttering about strange dreams, which made Harry's job even harder.

'_This is going to be a long night,' _Harry thought with a sigh. He decided that this was not going as he wanted and summoned Dobby. The elf was frightened when he appeared in a cell, but calmed down when he saw Harry in front of him.

"Dobby, I'm sorry to have summoned you early but I need you to take these two back to the Castle and then come and get me," said Harry to the elf who nodded and disappeared with Bellatrix and Blaise. Harry felt a ward being applied and tensed, trying to recognize the ward. After a lot of sensing, he gasped in horror when he realized what the ward was.

"Anti-Elf wards? Who the hell would know these wards?" Harry asked loudly to himself.

"I would, Mr. Potter," said the voice, of which Harry was familiar. He turned and looked in the eyes of Lucius Malfoy, gritting his teeth at seeing the second in command of his parents' murderer.

"Mr. Malfoy, Did you enjoy the short vacation in Azkaban?" taunted Harry. The older Malfoy hissed in anger and shot the killing curse at Harry, which he dodged skillfully.

"Crucio," yelled Malfoy at Harry. Harry waved his wand and a chain, which lay on the floor, flew to intercept the curse.

"Abscido legio," sent Harry a limb-paralyzing curse, which Malfoy dodged.

"Avada Kedavra," sent Malfoy in anger, seeing that his curses were either blocked or dodged.

"I fail to see your weak power or knowledge being enough to cast this ward, Malfoy," Harry said, trying to distract the Death Eater. He came up with a plan, which he was sure that Malfoy would not catch.

"Shut up Potter! The great Lord Voldemort was the one to cast this ward, entrusting me with its control as with the other wards," said Malfoy proudly as he blocked a stunner from Harry.

"Oh please! You screwed up by allowing me to rescue the prisoners," said Harry and allowed Malfoy to disarm him, feigning helplessness.

"Your pathetic, Potter" said Malfoy as he caught Harry's wand in his hand.

With a speed of lightning, Harry had his other wand out, "and you're stupid Malfoy, OBLIVIATE EXIMO." The spell caught Malfoy off guard in the face and since Harry did not concentrate on a single memory when doing the spell, all the memories were erased.

Harry sighed in relief, exited the room, and called Dobby to him again. This time, the elf appeared with a panicked face but was relieved when he saw Harry.

"Take us home Dobby," said Harry with a tired smile and Dobby complied and both of them were transported to Gryffindor Castle. As they appeared in the castle, Harry immediately asked about Bellatrix and Blaise.

"They were taken to the Hospital wing of the Gryffindor castle, sir," said Blinky to Harry. He took off towards the hospital wing and arrived to see an elf tending to the two witches.

"I'm sorry Master but I'm not a qualified healer. They need to be treated by a professional wizard or witch," said the elf to Harry before disappearing. It was at times like this that he missed Helga's healing or Salazar's potions. He wished desperately for help and summoned healing books with his wand. He proceeded to apply the spells. Some of the wounds would reopen again after Harry closed them, which made him wish he were at Hogwarts.

* * *

In the office of Albus Dumbledore, a bird lifted its head, as if listening to something then disappeared in a flash of flames. With a song, the majestic bird appeared in front of Harry, startling him from his thoughts.

"Fawkes," exclaimed Harry in relief. "I need your help. These girls are hurt and the wounds won't close."

The bird lowered its head on the wounds, healing an injury after another, leaving a relieved Harry. After the phoenix closed the last injury on Blaise, Harry approached the bird and rubbed its chest.

"Thank you Fawkes," Harry said tiredly, patting the bird on the head. "I'm really thankful that you are here." Fawkes trilled softly, rubbing his face in Harry's neck then disappeared in a flash of flames. Harry summoned a vial of post-Cruciatus to him from his trunk and made both witches drink it. Their faces relaxed after drinking the potion, which Harry was thankful for as he passed out on the bed next to them.

* * *

In the Malfoy Manor, Voldemort arrived after being notified by a Death Eater that a duel took place. He was enraged at being disturbed but his curiosity to know who infiltrated the supposedly heavy warded and guarded HQ.

As he entered the cell which Bellatrix and the Zabini girl should have been held in, he only found Lucius Malfoy unconscious on the floor. His wand flew to his hand, which he waved, enervating Lucius Malfoy.

"Where am I? Who am I?" asked the blond Death Eater. Voldemort hissed an unknown spell and a vapor appeared above Malfoy's head. Voldemort's red eyes flared and he hissed angrily

"_Avada Kedavra."_

The bright green beam of the killing curse flew from his wand, killing Lucius Malfoy instantly. He knew that the memories were not blocked, but removed, so there was no use of Lucius to him anymore.

"Find who did this and bring him to me," Voldemort hissed and pointed his wand at the Death Eaters, "Excrucio maxima."

All the Death Eaters fell screaming on the floor at the mass Crucio curse. The spell was lifted after thirty seconds and Voldemort hissed again in anger "Find that person NOW."

* * *

At Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry the next day, a raven arrived with the morning post and headed towards Albus Dumbledore, who was eating his food and looked every bit his age since the supposed death of Harry Potter. The raven landed in front of the headmaster and extended its leg, presenting the parchment to him. The headmaster relieved the bird of its parchment and was surprised when the raven disappeared in a golden flash, its mission completed.

Dumbledore opened the parchment and read the note. At first, he did not understand the meaning but it dawned on him after a while. For the first time in four months, Albus Dumbledore sat smiling cheerfully and ate his food eagerly.


	6. Bad Voldie Bad

**Chapter 6: Die Voldie's Mark Die**

Harry woke up the next day with sore back and a headache. He opened his eyes, observing the room around him as he tried to recall the events of the previous night.

He recalled calling Dobby, going to the Malfoy Manor, saving Blaise and Bellatrix, returning, and Fawkes healing the girls. He groaned when he realized that he forgot to take the de-aging potion Salazar gave him. He looked to the still sleeping girls and sighed. He did not know what he was going to do with them or how they would react when they wake up.

Unfortunately, he did not have to wait long, as both Blaise and Bellatrix were starting to wake up. He sat calmly as they looked around for a minute in panic, not familiar with the place.

Bellatrix had a look of wonder at the beauty of the room, considering that she was held in a dungeon when she was not under the potion and a look of fear that Voldemort might pop any moment and torture her.

Blaise on the other hand closed her eyes after opening them, curled into a ball, and started crying and muttering things barely audible to Harry. He decided to interfere and hurried to her side, trying calm the girl down before she broke down and.

Bellatrix panicked when a man hurried to where she was laying and took the girl in the bed next to her in his arms. She remembered the events that took place in the dungeons and remembered the feeling of Harry taking her in his embrace, comforting her soothingly, something that she longed for every time she was free from the potion.

The Blacks never bothered with physical or any other form of affection, preferring that their sons and daughters grow up not knowing what love is, only loyalty to the family and the Dark lord, the thing she hated the most with all her being.

She remembered the day that led to the Imperius potion as if it was yesterday. The only one who had ever shown her affection was her cousin Sirius, whom she was forced to kill by Voldemort via the potion. The Dark lord had come to their house just before the start of her sixth year and her mother and aunt pledged their loyalty to him that day.

Voldemort was impressed with her power and asked the Black family for Bellatrix to be his apprentice and be his wife later. The Blacks were proud that she was chosen for such a task and she, not wanting to disappoint her mother and not wanting to be killed, accepted. The real dilemma occurred when she was learning under Voldemort's tutelage.

At first, he taught her many things, expanded her knowledge far beyond anyone other dark wizard alive except him, and taught her the darkest of curses and powerful magic he knew. It was when he asked her to show him what she learned under his tutelage, on real human being, that the problems began.

It was Sirius who taught her to love, cherish the human life and he taught her to never take pleasure of hurting somebody. That was what presented the problem. It was when Voldemort ordered her to torture a 7-year-old muggle girl, as a proof of her loyalty and successful learning under his teachings, did the problem occur in the first place. She refused to torture the little helpless girl and that made Voldemort enraged to the point where he was on the verge of killing her. He hated that Bellatrix was extremely talented and a very powerful witch from a pureblood family, but not loyal to him.

He did not want to kill the heir to an old family like the Blacks after killing their second direct heir, Regulus and being refused by the main one, Sirius. It would have affected the loyalty of the pureblood families if they had the heirs of their old pureblood family killed.

It was then that led him to the Imperius potion. Neither Sirius nor the Black family realized that their daughter was under an Imperius potion, which led Sirius to hate her and her family to honor her and their pride shine at the position their daughter was in.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the sobbing and crying stopped; she looked at Blaise to see that she had fallen asleep again in the man's arms. He looked almost like James Potter, which puzzled Bellatrix since James Potter was long dead, leaving an only an almost 16 years old savior.

Harry laid Blaise gently on the bed and headed towards Bellatrix, whom he saw, was wide-awake and watching the display absent-mindedly.

"Hello Bellatrix," said Harry softly. She looked up to Harry's face startled that he knew her name. She tried to recall ever seeing Harry's face but nothing came up so she settled with the question that anyone in her place would ask.

"Am I dead? Are you James Potter?" Bellatrix asked confused and bewildered. Harry chuckled at the question, which made Bellatrix blush in embarrassment and look away. Harry stopped laughing and sat down on the bed facing Bellatrix.

"You're not dead Bellatrix, and I'm Harry Potter," said Harry softly. Her eyes widened and she looked everywhere then looked back at Harry.

"How?" Bellatrix asked, "You look like you are my age."

"It is a very long story for another time. I am also twenty five years old," answered Harry truthfully, wincing at the thought that his friends were only sixteen.

"How?" she asked again, raising her eyebrows. Harry decided it is safe to satisfy her curiosity, so he replied mysteriously, "Time travel."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she had her reply. Messing with time was a dangerous thing and even getting a time-turner is a complicated and difficult thing. Harry stood up and extended a hand to Bellatrix, smiling softly at her.

"Why don't you accompany me to breakfast, I'm sure that you are hungry."

Bellatrix looked at Harry's extended hand and her stomach growled, much to her embarrassment and Harry's amusement. She blushed and took Harry's hand, as he walked with her to eat breakfast.

"Blinky," Harry called and the house-elf appeared.

"How can I serve Master Harry?" asked the house-elf excitedly.

"Please let me know when Blaise is awake," replied Harry and the elf bowed and disappeared. They reached the beautiful garden of the castle where a table was set for two and an enormous breakfast filled the table. They sat down and Bellatrix looked at the food in wonder but did not make a move to eat. Harry noticed her action and took her hand in his.

"Bella, you're far away from Voldemort and his death eaters. It is okay to eat, drink, or even run around for the sake of having fun. I'm not going to torture you or lock you up," Harry said softly, making her burst into tears.

Harry stood up and was at her side in a second, enveloping her in a hug. He did not understand if Voldemort's name was what made her upset or something else. She became rigid and flinched for a second as she felt Harry's arms around her but relaxed when no harm came to her. She sobbed and cried hard on his shoulder for everything that happened in her life until that moment.

"Shh..." said Harry softly. "It's going to be okay. You're safe now, let it all out."

Living with two girls for five years, one of which was his girlfriend, had helped him somewhat understands about women and their attitudes. He rubbed her back and sighed softly to himself, missing his life with Rowena and Salazar, the brother that had helped him with everything and shared his life with for a decade.

Harry knew that if it was not for his friends and the war with Voldemort, he would have stayed with Rowena in the past, taught at Hogwarts, and lived his life happily but nothing was easy, especially for Harry.

"What is the matter, Bellatrix? Why are you crying again?" Harry asked softly. She calmed herself down enough to produce a full sentence.

"Siriuss…wwass thee... only… one wwwho cccaalled mmeee Bella," Bellatrix stuttered before crying again. "I…killed…him," she said between sobs, making Harry understand what the problem was. He gathered a calming charm in his hand, another charm he was able to do wandlessly, which calmed her down as it touched her shoulder.

"You were under an Imperius potion, Bella. Do not be hard on yourself; even the most powerful wizards would not have managed to overcome the effects of the potion. Voldemort was the one responsible for Sirius' death and he will pay dearly," Harry assured her as he took her in his arms again until she cried herself to sleep.

'_What is it with women and crying themselves to sleep,' _thought Harry as Blinky appeared in front of him.

"Master Harry! Come quick! Miss Blaise is awake and panicking," said the elf quickly, making Harry groan. He took the elf's hand and they appeared in the hospital wing of the castle.

He saw Blaise curled into a ball crying, so he decided to change his appearance. He put an illusion on him so that he appeared the age of sixteen and not twenty-five. He did not want to take the potion yet, not while Voldemort still thought he was dead.

"Blaise," said Harry softly, sitting next to her. "You are perfectly safe here. I won't hurt you." Blaise looked at the familiar face of Harry Potter and launched herself at him, hugging him tightly and crying on his shoulder again. Harry rubbed her back until she calmed down enough to talk.

"Sorry Potter," Blaise apologized softly. Harry shook his head and replied, "Call me Harry." He gave her a smile that she weakly returned.

"Thank you for saving me from that hellhole… Harry," said Blaise with a grateful smile. Harry sighed inwardly in relief that she did not cry herself to sleep again and grinned back at her. '_For God's sake, I hope to eat breakfast anytime soon.' _

"You're most welcome, Blaise. How about having some breakfast? I do not think you've ate anything for the past few days," suggested Harry. They ate breakfast at the table in the garden and Bellatrix joined them after a while, as she calmed down after her talk with Harry.

They sat in the sun after eating their breakfast, breathing clean air for the first time in weeks, a tremendous change from the dungeons they were held in. Harry removed the illusion and decided to trust Bellatrix and Blaise with the knowledge of how he came to be a 25 years old.

"It was four months ago that I had a vision about Voldemort talking about the Imperius potion and giving it to Bellatrix. I was angry with Dumbledore for keeping me at the house of my aunt and uncle, who hated magic and me in particular more than a house-elf hating freedom. He always manipulated me in the past, leaving me with abusing muggles although he knew of their hatred towards magic, preventing me from being in Slytherin house which the hat would have decided on.

Hagrid took me on my eleventh birthday, telling me I was a wizard and that my parents did not die in car crash like my relatives used to tell me, all the while telling me that Slytherin is bad and Gryffindor is the best. He left me to face danger every year at Hogwarts and then forcing me to return to my relatives every summer. I decided that I had had enough with Dumbledore controlling my life and making my decisions so I packed my things and decided to run away." Harry paused, then continued after a few moments, having both witches' attention.

"At the same time, a Muggle scientist moved a few houses away because they kicked him out of his work. He wanted to create a time machine and his researches and theories were almost complete with only a link missing.

He invited me inside and showed me his almost completed machine. Voldemort had decided to check in on me with a bit of pain through our connection, which made my magic react violently. It happens that the missing link for the time machine was apparently, Magic. I was thrown in the past, where I stayed for 10 years, thus my older looks."

Both girls had their jaws hit the floor from what Harry told them. It was almost surreal, yet it explained everything that happened and his looks. Bellatrix was the first one to break the silence and ask questions.

"Where are we? What time did you land in? What did you do those ten years?" Bellatrix asked excitedly, then blushed when Harry raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"We are in my home, which is the Gryffindor ancestral home. I will not tell you the time I landed in until I decide on what to do next. I learned, enjoyed my life, traveled around the world, and had a beautiful relationship with a beautiful witch," replied Harry, saying no more about the subject. He needed to decide on what to do next before telling anyone what happened to him.

Both girls' eyes widened as they heard about his relationship but said nothing. They talked for a while, Blaise telling Harry about her past until Voldemort kidnapped her. Bellatrix told Harry about her almost non-existent life, starting from when she was a kid until her 16th birthday and Voldemort's offer. Harry's eyes widened when he heard that Voldemort taught Bellatrix but he said nothing until she finished her story with tears spilling down her face. '_No wonder she was the most feared dark witch after Voldie himself" _Harry thought as he observed the woman in front of him.

"What are you going to do now, Bella?" Harry asked curiously.

"I don't know, I…I don't want to go back near him again," replied Bella, shaking her head. She was about to continue when pain erupted in her left arm, which carried the dark mark. She began screaming which made Harry jump with his wand in his hand. He waved his wand and the sleeve flew away, exposing her arm and the Dark Mark, which was black. He heard the snake hissing something that made his blood boil.

"Sssservant will die," it hissed. Harry decided to perform a powerful art of magic that he only read about, but never practiced. It was called aura magic, an art that was lost to the wizard kind, with the exception of two people. Salazar and Harry received a book about the magic from the tribe leader whose daughter Thanatos Slytherin kidnapped. He deemed them worthy of such knowledge and made them swear an oath on to never use in any evil way.

Harry closed his eyes and extended his aura, connecting it to Bellatrix. He searched and found the dark part of her soul, which contained the Dark mark. He attacked the mark viciously with his magic, containing it and keeping it from killing Bellatrix. He summoned a large part of his magic, battling with Voldemort's magic and trying to remove it.

Although she was a powerful witch, being in Azkaban for 14 years made her body extremely weak. Harry's frustration reached its limit and remembered something which he thought might work.

He searched for a happy memory, which he found quiet easily and transferred the happy feeling through his magic. As soon as his magic touched Voldemort's, it seemed to burn away the evil magic in Bellatrix's soul, making the evil magic shrink back.

With a new vigor, Harry's magic battled with Voldemort's in a matter of power and will, until another foreign magic entered Bella's body. Harry was about to attack it when he recognized the aura, which helped him win the battle of magic. Soon, all Voldemort's dark energy left Bella's body completely, making Harry and Bella pass out from exhaustion.

Harry woke up to a hand holding his, and recognized the aura, the same aura that helped him earlier with overcoming Voldemort's possession of Bellatrix through the mark. He opened his eyes to see Blaise holding his hand and reading a book, trails of tears on her face. On the next bed was Bellatrix, sleeping peacefully, free from Voldemort's mark for the first time since she was a teenager.

"How did you enter Bella's aura?" asked Harry, sitting in his bed. Blaise hugged him as he announced himself being awake and removed her hand from his, blushing deeply.

"You were sweating and Bellatrix was screaming, so I laid my hand on your shoulder to support you and found myself inside her body. I felt my magic and saw yours fighting the dark energy, so I helped you" she said and looked at Bellatrix, then back at Harry.

"Can I ask you something, Harry?" said Blaise softly, looking at the ground.

"Of course," he replied smiling weakly.

"I have no where to go after Voldemort killed my parents. The Slytherins who support Voldemort will kill me if I go back to Hogwarts. Can I stay with you?" Her question was almost inaudible but Harry heard her.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you want Blaise. You can live here until you decide on what you want to do next, but do not leave the castle without telling me where you are going. Voldemort will not rest until he captures you again; he needs you to do his ritual." Harry said, all the while thinking that he almost sounded like Dumbledore, with all his 'stay safe and I will have guard for you thing' but Blaise nodded her head and kissed Harry on the cheek, blushing.

"Thank you, Harry," she replied with a grin.

* * *

Bellatrix woke up several hours later, to find Harry in a chair next to her reading a book and several vials of potions next to him. He looked up from the book when he heard her wake up, and grinned at her. 

"How do you feel?" said Harry, opening a vial of potion and giving it to her. She felt the pain leave her body and was grateful for it, since the pain of the mark left her very sore.

"Complete and peaceful," she replied, sighing in content. She wondered why Voldemort was not hurting her again through the mark, which made her check her left arm. Tears of joy filled her eyes when she saw the absence of the mark and saw Harry grinning widely at her.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. Harry felt like he was on fire, much like when he was kissing Rowena. The name flashed in his mind like lightning, which made him pull back from the kiss.

Bella was in heaven when Harry responded to her kiss, but the heavenly feeling was short lived as Harry pulled back as if in shock. She was beaming in happiness when she saw self-loathing appear on his face. Her happy face vanished almost immediately, fearing the worst. It almost made her cry to see his self-loathing expression, wondering why it appeared on the handsome face of the powerful wizard in front of her.

'_Oh God, I am betraying Rowena. I can't do this' _Harry thought to himself. He hated himself for liking the kiss. He hated himself for enjoying another woman's kiss when his girlfriend was in the past, missing his presence and his love.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Bella asked softly. She feared that he would leave her or return her back to the Voldemort's dungeons, rejecting her for making a move.

"I can't do that, Bella. I have a girlfriend, who I am in love with. I can't have feelings for another, I can't betray her like that," Harry exclaimed to Bella, whose hopeful face left her as Harry finished talking.

"But she is in the past, Harry," said Bella. "You have to move on." He shook his head and replied, looking at her.

"She's coming, Bella. I can't do this, I can't."


	7. Decisions and Tests

**Chapter 7: Decisions and Tests.**

28th of October 1996

Harry sat in the garden of Gryffindor's Castle, thinking back to the decade he had spent with Salazar and Rowena. He missed Salazar's sarcasm, Rowena's musical laugh, Godric's jokes, and Helga's cheerful character. A cough brought him out of his musing and he turned to see Bellatrix and Blaise standing behind him, observing him quietly.

"Hi"

Bellatrix avoided his eyes, which made Blaise confused since she was oblivious to what happened between Harry and the older witch. Harry smiled a little and got up, taking a deep breath and turned to face his guests.

"Hello Blaise," Harry greeted the girl softly before saying what was on his mind the past few days. "I will be going to Hogwarts in a few days, whether in disguise or not, it is yet to be determined. I want to know what both of you would like to do with your life."

Bellatrix paled as thoughts of Harry telling her to get herself out of his house because of the kiss, began to enter her mind. Blaise sat thinking about her decision, as Harry had already told her that she was welcome in his house until she wants to move out. What made up her decision was that after her parents' death, she did not feel secure except beside Harry, knowing that he was there to protect her.

Harry noticed Bellatrix's pale face and explained softly, "Bellatrix, I have a few options for you that may help you decide what you want to do with your life."

"I am a murderer, Harry. My life was already over since they started giving me the potion, and nothing would ever remedy that," Bellatrix said softly, a tear sliding down her face. Harry wiped the tear with his thumb and lifted her chin so that she looked at him in the eye.

"Bella, Voldemort is the murderer. No one is able to overcome the Imperius potion, not even Dumbledore or Voldemort himself." It was a lie. Salazar had taught him how to overcome most of the mind controlling potions, a few truth serums, and how to manipulate his magic to sustain a poison long enough to find an antidote. When it came to potions, Salazar was definitely the most knowledgeable and creative Potions Master in the history of magic.

He was amazed and in awe of his blood brother's brilliance in potions, which surpassed anyone he ever met. To be able to create a potion in a month for the vampires, enabling them to reproduce, was nothing short of brilliance from the wizard. Potion masters would spend their lifetime trying to come up with a potion that Salazar would create in his free time.

Therefore, it was not a surprise when Salazar was able to overcome any potion applied to him long enough to brew the antidote. It was a useful skill, which would prevent anyone from forcing him against his will or forcing something out of him.

"Bella, these are the options that I am capable of coming up with for you to live a normal life. I have a de-aging elixir that you could take and attend Hogwarts under another name. Moreover, with enough care and food, you will not be recognizable. The second option is that you can use permanent transfiguration spells and change how you look, your identity and so on. The last option is that you live as a Muggle for the rest of your life, work in the Muggle world, and marry someone and spend the rest of your life happy.

For me, I will go to Hogwarts, since I have a war to fight with the Riddle, and will not de-age myself, at least for the time being," explained Harry his options and waited for Bellatrix to think. Meanwhile, Blaise had decided on her course of action and voiced her action to the waiting wizard in front of her.

"I will go to Hogwarts with you but I don't want to be a student," said Blaise thoughtfully. Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting until Bellatrix decided on her course of action.

It was hard for Bellatrix to decide on what she wanted to do, as she never had the option to choose before in her life. From when she was young until they applied the potion at the age of sixteen, her family always decided for her. After that, the Imperius potion took what was left of her will, so it presented a problem for her to be faced with options that would decide her life. She dismissed the third option, since she loved doing magic and living in the magical world, so marrying and living as a Muggle did not agree with her. Her beauty was something she cared about since she was a teen and changing her looks permanently was something she did not want to do.

"I will take the de-aging elixir and attend Hogwarts," replied Bellatrix, smiling for the first time in many years. Harry nodded his head and looked at Blaise, deciding on something that he never thought he would do.

"Blaise, would you like to become my apprentice?" Blaise's eyes widened as Harry asked the question. She saw what Harry was capable of, and what Harry would teach her would be invaluable. She almost jumped with joy when Harry asked her, knowing that the spells and experience and his skill with a wand, which he would pass to her if she accepted.

"Yes," she was almost jumping with joy. Harry raised an eyebrow, making Blaise blush and mumble, "the sorting hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw," Harry chuckled softly while Bella had a jealous look on her face and a hurt expression. Harry stopped laughing when he noticed the expression and emotions on Bellatrix's face and decided to elaborate.

"Bella, I did not extend the same offer since you are already a fully grown witch, with vast knowledge taught to you by one of the most powerful and knowledgeable wizards alive. Blaise will not finish her Hogwarts education with Voldemort still alive and looking for her. He needs her for a ritual that would require a virgin pureblood, something which is rare these days with the existence of the astronomy tower and broom closets at Hogwarts," Harry said grinning. Bellatrix nodded and blushed making Harry raise an eyebrow and Bella blush harder.

"Harry, how are you going to take an apprentice when you did not even take your N.E.W.T.S?" voiced Blaise her question.

"I've already sent an application to the ministry of magic to schedule N.E.W.Ts exams. I am supposed to be there in," said Harry looking at his watch and cursed, "20 minutes."

Harry jumped and ran towards his room to change into suitable robes. He changed, holstered his wands and apparated to the phone booth and dialed the number. He entered the ministry after taking the badge and checking his wand at the entrance. He let the man examine his original wand, and released a confundus charm with the other. The result was very amusing.

"11 ½ inches yew with eagle feather, used for 6 years?"

Harry nodded his head and proceeded to the elevator after lifting the confundus charm of the wizard with a flick of his wrist. The ministry worker knew his wand very well since he examined it before the trial last summer and Harry wanted to avoid the news of his survival until he was ready.

He pressed on the level of Magical education. The elevator opened in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office and a tired Arthur Weasley entered and nodded to him. Harry almost panicked and held his breath until Arthur Weasley left the elevator to department of Magical transportations. He was not ready to face any of them and almost felt guilty for making them sad.

The elevator finally opened in the Department of Magical Education and Harry left. He went to the secretary and spoke to her. "I'm here for the N.E.W.Ts Exams"

"Name?" asked the Secretary. Knowing that he must tell his real name in order to get a legal license, he replied.

"Lord Harry Potter-Black." The secretary almost screamed if not for the silencing charm that Harry cast on her.

"Look lady, I don't want anyone to know of me being alive, especially Voldemort. So hush it up or believe me I am able to make you do so," Harry's threat appeared to be working as the woman paled and nodded. She tapped a sheet with her magic, making it disappear and pointed at the door to her left.

Harry nodded to the woman and headed towards the door, checking to see if anyone was in the room. He decided to play safe, pointed his wand at the woman, and whispered "**occulto memoria." **

It was a charm to lock away a certain memory. The person it was cast on would remember the memory but would not be able to speak about it. Harry entered the room to find the two of the professors who examined his O.W.L exams, Tofty and Marchbanks.

"Hello young sir. We will ask you questions instead of having a written exam for your subjects and we will have the practical afterwards. Agreed?" said Professor Tofty. Harry nodded his head and the two examiners began to question him.

They began with transfiguration, asking definitions and wand motions for spells from every single year at Hogwarts. Harry performed admirably in his opinion, answering the questions clearly and as accurate as he remembered from the books. Then came the practical part of the Transfiguration, where Harry was very good.

"Please transform the cup in front of you into a bird."

"Anything specific?" asked Harry.

"Eagle," Harry waved his wand and the cup transformed into a regal looking eagle, which flew and settled on Harry's shoulder.

"Transform the Eagle into a snake, please." It was a harder aspect of transfiguration to change a predator like an Eagle to a snake.

Harry waved his wand in a complicated wave, the Eagle transformed into a black Anaconda. Harry hissed and the snake settled on his shoulder, to the amazement of both examiners. He was asked to change Tofty to a bird and back, which he did, transforming the old wizard to a raven and back.

"Amazing. Change the snake into 20 various items and animals of your choice," said Marchbanks. Harry waved his wand several times and the snake changed to a ferret, raven, pocket watch, table, chair, dog, cat, pig, rat, fridge, plate and a few other animals and items until it settled back to a cup, but to the amazement and awe of the ancient looking examiners in front of him, it was a silver cup.

"Bravo, outstanding. Manipulating silver is a rare and powerful skill. We will be moving to charms now," said Tofty clapping. They questioned Harry on every charm from a levitation charms to charms that enlarge a room. Harry was more of a practical wizard so his definitions were a little off. It came finally to the practical part where he was handed a cup again.

"Make this cup fly and move in circles," Harry did as he was asked with ease. They tested him on every charm, from cheering to animating and enlarging, which he performed successfully, earning himself bonus by performing anti-apparation jinx.

They moved after that to Defense against the Dark arts, where Harry excelled. He succeeded in performing every counter hex, disabling dark curses, dark enchantments and creating a mild dark-arts detector. The examiners were in awe at the skill and knowledgebase of the young wizard in front of them.

"What's your name young man?" asked Tofty.

"Harold Martin," Harry lied skillfully. It would do him no good if Voldemort discovered that Harry was alive, and Harry needed the element of surprise.

"You are very skilled Mr. Martin. I'm impressed with your skill and knowledge," said Tofty and Marchbanks nodded. Harry grinned and thanked both examiners.

He was proud of himself, since he worked hard to reach this level. Since Harry was not going to be an Auror, he did not take a potions exam. He took an ancient runes exam, since he studied it with Salazar in the past, along with Arithmancy.

He passed through both exams with excellence and exited the room with a big smile on his face. He looked at his watch to find that he spend 5 hours inside the room and waited to get his results. It took 30 minutes for him to get his scores.

**N.E.W.T results:**

**Subject Written Practical**

**DADA O O**

Charms O O

Transfiguration E O

Ancient Runes E O

Arithmancy E E

_Overall result: 9 N.E.W.Ts_

Harry was ecstatic as he read the results. He was officially a fully-fledged wizard now, with the proof between his fingers. He headed for the department of Magical Transportation where he took an apparation test and got his license. It was with a smile on his face that he appeared back in Gryffindor Castle and that was how the two girls found him.

"How did the exams go?" asked Bella eagerly. Harry's grin widened and he showed her his results. Both girls squealed and hugged him when they saw the results and he told them about the exams.

"We will be going to Hogwarts in two days, prepare your things for the stay there. We will perform the ritual for apprenticeship and the de-aging potion tomorrow afternoon." Both girls nodded and Harry headed for his room to sleep after five hours of continues use of magic.

The next two days passed quickly with Harry performing the apprenticeship ritual. It tied the apprentice to the master with a bond until such time the apprenticeship is finished.

Blaise had a tattoo on her back of a Dragon holding a sword and a snake wrapped around it. It was Harry personal tattoo, which would have been his banner as the fifth founder of Hogwarts had he not spoke the truth to the other founders.

Bella took drops of the potion until she was 17 years old. Harry was amazed at the beautiful woman Bellatrix was at the age of 17. However, the thought of Rowena stopped him from pursuing any relationship with Bellatrix.

"Are you ready, Bella? Blaise?" asked Harry as both girls appeared in front of him. Bellatrix was dressed in a beautiful violet robe that brought out her eyes and Blaise was in a dark blue apprentice robes.

Both of them nodded and Harry took out a Portkey to Dumbledore's office and tapped his wand with it. As Harry was keyed to the wards of Hogwarts and as Hogwarts herself knew the signature of one of her masters and creators, it was easy to land in the office of Albus Dumbledore.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier…_

Albus Dumbledore was finishing a few papers before the Halloween feast when the walls of the castle began to hum. A twinkle and a full smile appeared on his face and his smile widened when the sword of Gryffindor began to glow.

It was still a mystery to him as why the castle would hum or the sword would glow when Harry arrive at Hogwarts. He felt a magic shift in the air and took out his wand in precaution. He raised his wand as three people appeared in his office; again, it was impossible since he controlled the Portkey wards around the castle.

Harry appeared in the circular office, which he visited too many times a year in his first five years of education at Hogwarts, to find a wand pointed at him by none other than his old mentor, Albus Dumbledore.

"Who are you and how did you get a Portkey to my office?" asked Dumbledore firmly. Harry laughed and replied, pulling his hood down.

"Is that how you treat your guests, Headmaster?" said Harry "I'm the prophecy child, the boy-who-won't-die- normally, the Dursley's house-elf, slayer of basilisks, trouble-magnet extraordinaire Harry bloody scar head Potter," Harry finished grinning at his headmaster, who lowered his wand and with a surprising speed, moved from his chair and next to Harry. He did something Harry never thought Albus Dumbledore would do, which was hugging him.

"I've missed you my dear boy. What happened to your looks? Why are you looking like James? What happened since the explosion?" it was not a Dumbledore-like thing to ask questions all at once. Harry decided that he did not need the girls to know all about what he did so he decided to solve their problem first.

"The first thing Professor is my two friends here," said Harry pointing at the two girls who still had their hoods up. Dumbledore looked up sharply as he remembered the two figures that appeared with Harry. Harry proceeded to explain the dream he had, the Imperius potion, the circumstances behind Snape's death and the rescue. Dumbledore's expressions varied as the conversation flowed, from sad to angry to happy to relieved. He was sad to learn what Bellatrix had to endure and Harry told him about his plan for Bellatrix and Blaise.

"Apprenticeship?" asked Dumbledore in shock "what are you a master of, Harry?" Harry told him about his N.E.W.Ts exams and results. To say that Albus Dumbledore was proud of his former pupil and surrogate grandson was an understatement. However, he was sad to see the man in front of him grow too fast.

"I'm sorry for my mistakes, Harry. I can't even begin to imagine what you had to endure because of my mistakes," Dumbledore said sadly. Harry shook his head and replied.

"I have thought a very long time about it, Professor, and there is nothing to forgive. I know that you had my best interest at heart, although it was put into action the wrong way. You are only human, headmaster and you tried your best," Harry replied softly. Salazar and Rowena helped him understand that life was too short to hold grudges and that everyone could make mistakes.

Dumbledore smiled and patted the younger wizard on the back. He was proud of the man that Harry had become and knew now that Harry will be the victor in the final battle between both sides.

"Headmaster, I don't want anyone to know that I'm still alive yet. You can tell Hermione and Ron but no one else," Harry said softly. He hated having to hide from his best friends but he did not want Voldemort to have his eyes on the students more than it was required. Dumbledore nodded his head and turned to Bellatrix.

"Now, Bellatrix, which name are you going to go by?" asked Dumbledore gently, the twinkle in his eyes full force. He was happy when Harry told him that she was forced to be on the dark side by the potion and not her free will and that she was free from Voldemort's control. In addition, he was relieved yet saddened to know what happened behind Severus Snape's death.

"Isabelle Evans," replied Bella softly. Dumbledore nodded and wrote the name on a parchment and tapped it with his wand several times. Harry knew what Dumbledore was doing and was grateful.

Dumbledore created a new identity for Bellatrix along with a fake history with her original O.W.L scores to go by and sent them to the ministry archives with a spell. He also took the sorting hat from its place and placed it on Bella's head. It sat down for a few minutes and shouted "Ravenclaw."

She was relieved and sat down next to Harry with a smile. Harry walked and placed the hat on his head and said mentally, "_Hello William." _

"_Master Harry?" _replied the hat back in shock, "_You're Harry Potter? The Black Prince? Fifth Founder of Hogwarts?" _

"_Yes William, it is me. I would appreciate if you would keep quiet about my titles, since no one knows about them."_

"_Of course, Master Harry. Godric, Helga, Rowena, and Salazar told me you had left and spelled me not to mention the fact that you are the fifth founder. I wondered why, but now I understand. It would be only you who would time travel and build Hogwarts, Master Harry," _the hat said sarcastically.

"_Nice to know that you are still the same sarcastic old hat," _Harry replied with a chuckle, oblivious to the staring of Dumbledore and the two girls.

"_I need to know one thing, William. Did they leave?" _Harry asked carefully.

"_All I know is that they disappeared a year after you had left. I don't know the circumstances behind it but I heard that Salazar is a dark lord," _replied the hat.

Harry knew that his blood brother would not be a dark lord, not while he was still bonded to Harry. The bond was still in place, though inactive. They were powerful bonds that stayed through time and space, something that Harry was grateful about.

"_Farewell for now, old friend. Don't mention anything of my time-travel, nothing," _said Harry and removed the hat from his head.

"What were you talking about, Harry? You've been talking for a while now," Dumbledore asked curiously. Harry shrugged and replied, "Just saying hello."

"Harry, I would like to extend an invitation for you to teach DADA. I was currently teaching it until I find a suitable replacement. What do you say?" asked Dumbledore cheerfully.

"I can't be Harry Potter, headmaster," replied Harry thoughtfully.

"You will be posing as my grandson, Simon Dumbledore. You studied at the Egyptian Academy of Sorcery and graduated as a top student, excelling in DADA," said Dumbledore excitedly. Harry groaned, making the girls giggle and Dumbledore chuckle.

"Whatever old man," replied Harry sighing. Obviously, the headmaster had thought about it. Dumbledore's twinkle hit full force and corrected him, "that's grandfather to you, young man." Harry glared at Dumbledore, making him laugh harder.

"Too cheerful for your own good," mumbled Harry.

"The Halloween feast will start in a few minutes. Why don't we all go down and have fun?" asked Dumbledore cheerfully standing up and the group followed him.

"We will talk tomorrow, grandfather," said Harry (Simon) carefully, as he saw Dumbledore looking at him with interest and curiosity. The entered the Great Hall and Harry's eye instantly tracked down his two best friends.

Ron seemed to have grown a few inches, some muscles, and more freckles. Hermione seemed to have evolved into a beautiful young woman with her hair tied in a ponytail and not bushy for once. They had expressions of sadness on their faces that caused Harry to feel guilty inside. Dumbledore, Blaise, and Harry headed to the head table while Bella Evans headed for the Ravenclaw table, earning a few stares from the other students. The hall went silent as Dumbledore stood up.

"Good evening," Dumbledore began. "First, I would like to wish you a happy Halloween. I also have a few announcements to make before you continue with your festivities. I have finally found a Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. His name is Simon Dumbledore, and he is my grandson.

He is a very capable and knowledgeable young man, graduated from the Egyptian Academy of Sorcery with top scores and excelled in the field. I would like you to show him the respect he deserves. Second, it is my pleasure to announce that Isabelle Evans transferred to Hogwarts from London Private Witchcraft School. Isabelle will enter her seventh year and the sorting hat had sorted her into Ravenclaw. Please make her feel at home," Dumbledore finished and sat down, talking to his new DADA teacher and surrogate grandson.


	8. First Class

**Chapter 8: First Class**

Harry sat talking with Dumbledore at the Head table, carefully observing his surroundings and the other teachers. He had changed his looks before him coming down from Dumbledore's office, to be at least similar in some features to the old headmaster.

It would do him no good with the green eyes and messy black hair, since he would be nowhere near a relative of Dumbledore and recognizable as Harry Potter.

He changed his eyes to a shade of blue similar to the headmaster's, and changed his hair to short auburn, since he was not a head of his 'fake' family. He had also changed Blaise's appearance a little, making her hair a brown, which fell to her waist and forest green eyes. She was sitting at the head table in the chair next to him, eating quietly but Harry could feel her nervousness radiating off of her.

Harry's thoughts took him to the mystery of Snape's situation. He wondered where the body of Severus Snape was, since Voldemort loved to send dead bodies to the families of the victim.

Harry was sure there was something else about Snape's death; otherwise, Voldemort would have flaunted the body by now to warn any of his followers of betraying him. It was the subject of Snape, which brought Harry's train of thought to the potions teaching position.

"Who will teach the potions subject, Headmaster?" asked Simon curiously. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he replied, "You will meet her in a few moments, Simon."

Harry shrugged and continued eating, chatting mentally with Hogwarts, and checking the wards around the school. Hogwarts herself held most of the wards, the rest were being held by the current headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

Harry had also detected some foreign wards, which were not working well with the existing ones, with the magical signature of Dumbledore emanating from them. Harry knew why the wards Dumbledore applied would not coexist with the older ones, being an expert in that field.

Being the less powerful, Dumbledore's wards were negated to the point where they were disturbing the other older wards. To apply a less powerful ward to a very powerful and older one cast by two mages and three high sorcerers, the wizard must weave the less powerful wards slowly into the more powerful one, as if he was tying the loose ends of the wards with another.

Apparently, Dumbledore tied the wards to himself to anchor and maintain balance of the wards. It was another way to apply a ward, but since Dumbledore had no idea what the wards applied on Hogwarts were, he could not know how to weave his own wards in them without creating a disturbance in all the protection wards and defenses of the castle.

Also being a wizard who believed most blood magic to be evil, Dumbledore would not be able to weave his own wards into blood wards, without the risk of killing himself.

Suddenly, Harry's senses alerted him to a foreign intruder making him finger his wand carefully. He looked around for the possible threat, until he noticed a flicker in the shadows. The other teachers were surprised when the new Defense teacher jumped up, pointing his wand at the shadows on the wall and yell an incantation.

"**Constringo subnecto funis." **

Ropes flew from the end of Harry's wand like a blur and wrapped themselves around the intruder. Before Dumbledore could even move or take out his wand, Harry's hand and wand were on the person's throat.

"Who are you?" asked Harry, gritting his teeth. Before the person could reply, Dumbledore rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I believe that you _caught_ our Potions mistress, Simon," Dumbledore said, amused. Harry glared at the older man as a scent reached his nose. He was very familiar with this particular scent and loathed with all his being, even though they had taught him their magic.

He motioned to Dumbledore and they entered the room behind the head table, leaving a confused crowd as to why their new DADA teacher had strongly attacked their Potions teacher. As they entered the room and warded the door, Harry's eyes narrowed in anger and fury.

"Are you insane, Dumbledore?" Harry yelled angrily. "A Vampire teaching at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore's eye widened when Harry finished talking.

There were powerful charms applied on his new Potions mistress so that she would appear as a normal human being. It was next to impossible to detect her and he was mystified as to how Harry knew about her the moment he met her.

"How did you know that she was a vampire? I've applied the most powerful charms to hide her."

"Her scent, Dumbledore, is highly active since it is Halloween. Since they are near dead creatures, there scent flare when a day where the dead are near our realm. I had supposed that you would know that," Harry explained angrily.

He hated dealing with vampires, as they would betray you and drink your blood the moment they feel hungry, something that had happened with him and Salazar during their journey.

"She is the princess of the Romnov clan and a half vampire. Voldemort wanted to learn their blood magic so he tried to kidnap the daughter of their king to force them to teach him. She is a talented Potion mistress, much like Severus was and she seeks protection here. We don't want the vampires to side with Voldemort, Harry," replied Dumbledore.

Harry nodded his head and replied tiredly, rubbing his temple, "Just so you know, I don't trust her," He said before walking out the door with Dumbledore following him. The woman sat on the table, her face showing a little hint of fear.

Dumbledore approached her smiling kindly. He could sense her fear of Harry from where he was standing and tried his best to look reassuring. He approached the table slowly trying to give her a sense of security as Harry followed behind him.

"I don't believe you've met my grandson, Natasha," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"Natasha, this is my grandson Simon Dumbledore. Simon, this is Natasha Romenenko, our Potions mistress."

The look of fear on the woman's face made Harry a little bit guilty, but training with the assassins taught him that everyone, even your own family is a potential attacker

"I'm sorry for earlier," apologized Harry, though it was not fully sincere. _'It's Dumbledore's fault for not warning me before hand,"_ Harry thought. "It has been a long day and my senses are on high alert." The woman nodded her head and smiled weakly in return.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Simon Dumbledore," said Natasha nodding her head. Harry nodded to her and excused himself, heading towards his room with his new apprentice following him. They were given adjacent rooms and Harry excused himself and went to his room. He changed and was asleep as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night, when Harry felt a shift on his bed. In an instant, his wand was in his hand as he had the person by the throat. A terrified yelp identified the person to be his new apprentice, Blaise Zabini, on his bed with a revealing nightgown.

"Blaise? Are you out of your mind? I could have killed you," exclaimed Harry, trying to calm down. Blaise was pale in the face and was shaking, making Harry notice immediately.

"What happened?" asked Harry, gently this time. He took her in his arms when he noticed the tears and shaking increase, trying to calm her down and understand.

"Eeee...vvery tttimee I close… my…eeyeess I see him, his rrreedd eeyees glaringgg bb...ack… at... me, I-I… amm sorryyy," Blaise stuttered, as she explained to Harry, who until he had learned Occlumency, had the same problem.

He hugged her and replied softly. "Don't worry, you are safe now," he said, rubbing her back soothingly. She cried herself to sleep in Harry's arms, and with a wave of his wand, he applied privacy wards and went back to sleep.

* * *

Harry woke up the next day to a warm body next to his. He was about to reach for his wand when he remembered what happened the previous night. He looked down to the content and peaceful face of Blaise, snuggled into his chest. He looked at the clock and found that it was six in the morning, so he decided to skim through his teaching curriculum since he would be teaching in a few hours.

He untangled himself from Blaise and walked into the study outside his bedroom. He found his lesson plans and sat down, going over some things and adding new spells to teach.

He looked at the schedule that Dumbledore had given him the night before and groaned, when he realized that his first class would be 6th years Defense class. He sat skimming through the lesson plans until Blaise woke up.

"Good Morning," said Blaise, entering the study and stretching her arms.

"Good Morning, Blaise," Harry replied, turning around to face her. "You will be joining my first class, which would be a 6th year class. You will attend the advanced classes I teach with the students of Hogwarts and I will each you other branches of magic when I have free time or at night."

"Are you sure it is wise that I attend with my former classmates? Someone is bound to find out about me and it will get back to the Dark lord," asked Blaise fearfully, shuddering at the thought of being back in the dungeons.

"Don't worry, Blaise. No one will be able to recognize you, so you have nothing to fear," replied Harry gently. "The first thing you will need to learn is Occlumency. Although the apprenticeship bond prevents anyone from breaking your mind, since there is a risk of someone finding a master's secret through his apprentice, but you must learn Occlumency for me to teach you other things and for your own protection." Blaise nodded her head and Harry smiled.

"I will be having breakfast with Dumbledore in his office. I need you to have breakfast in the Great Hall on your own," said Harry, making Blaise pale.

"You have to have confidence in yourself and your abilities, Blaise. No one will harm you in the Great hall or out of it. Hogwarts will protect you if it comes to any harm," said Harry mysteriously. He had already informed Hogwarts mentally to protect Blaise and Bella from any harm if he was not there.

Blaise was confused by the 'Hogwarts' comment but did not question the matter further. Harry wore his battle clothes under an expensive looking black robe trimmed with silver and headed to the headmaster's office, while Blaise headed for the Great hall in her apprentice robes, which had Harry's personal crest on the back.

Harry reached the headmaster's office and checked the corridor for anyone observing. Seeing none, he looked back to the gargoyle, which bowed its head and opened to way to Dumbledore's office for Harry. He entered to find Dumbledore sitting and drinking his coffee, with a table full of food in front of him.

"Good morning, my dear boy," said Dumbledore cheerfully. Harry groaned at the cheerfulness of his old headmaster and sat down on an empty chair, pouring coffee for himself.

"Good morning, headmaster," replied Harry, sipping slowly from his cup of coffee. He knew that the cheerful attitude would disappear as soon as they begin the conversation about Harry's disappearance. They ate in silence for a few minutes until Dumbledore decided to begin the interrogation, as Harry liked to call it.

"Where have you been, Harry?" asked Dumbledore "the order looked everywhere for you until we lost hope of you being alive."

"Do you know of the explosion in surrey?"

"Do you mean the one which was rumored to be caused by a mad Muggle scientist? Yes, I know about that explosion. We thought that Voldemort attacked surrey at first but Severus had confirmed that Tom was in Russia, trying to force the vampires to teach him blood magic," replied Dumbledore, raising an eyebrow at the reference to the explosion.

"He was not a mad scientist. There was just a missing link in his invention, one which he never would have discovered, since he was a Muggle," said Harry.

"Magic"

"Exactly," Harry replied. "I had met him in the park near private drive. We talked for a while and I went back home." Dumbledore listened with rapt attention as Harry continued.

"One day when I was walking past his house, he invited me in to have a look at his invention," Harry said, omitting the fact that he was running away from his house.

"He could have been a Death Eater in disguise, Harry," said Dumbledore in a disappointed tone.

"Spare me, old man. I was inside the wards on private drive which was, according to your beliefs, would not allow anyone with negative thoughts towards me to enter beyond it," snapped Harry.

"Please continue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly.

"It was, when I was looking at the invention that Voldemort decided to send me a bit of his anger through the connection we share. Some of my magic leaked and touched the Muggle invention, causing the explosion and my disappearance," continued Harry.

"What was that invention, Harry," said Dumbledore anxiously.

"A Time Machine," was Harry's reply. Dumbledore's jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and the food in front of him lay forgotten.

"You traveled through time? Where?" breathed Dumbledore.

"I will tell you when the time is right, headmaster. All you have to know is that I trained for my inevitable battle with Voldemort," said Harry mysteriously, making Dumbledore visibly irritated.

"You have to tell me where in time you landed, Harry. You could have changed something in history," Dumbledore inquired firmly.

"I don't _have_ to tell you anything, Dumbledore," hissed Harry. "I am merely satisfying your curiosity and I'm not obligated to tell you anything and I could have left you in the dark about my actions. I have already passed N.E.W.T exams and I am a lord and head of powerful families. I can do whatever I bloody hell wish to do." Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temple.

"You've changed, Harry."

"You don't expect me to be a kid when I'm expected by a goddamn prophecy to be a man, and to kill a monster," snapped Harry.

"How much did you spend in whatever time you landed in, then?" asked Dumbledore "You look a lot older than James when he was still alive."

"I'm twenty five," said Harry quietly. Again, Dumbledore was shocked that Harry spent a decade in a different time, with different people.

"You came to your full magical power then, I assume," stated Dumbledore. Harry nodded his head and Dumbledore could not help but feel proud at the young man in front of him. Fate threw her worst at him and he survived every time.

"What's your power level and control?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"For the power level, let's just say I'm powerful enough. As for control, I'm still improving," replied Harry and Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

"Very well, Harry. I believe you have thirty minutes until your first lesson with 6th year Gryffindors and Slytherins," Dumbledore said smiling kindly.

"You did it on purpose," groaned Harry in frustration. Dumbledore chuckled and replied. "Of you go then, my boy."

* * *

Harry exited the headmaster's office, muttering and cursing the old headmaster for everything that happened wrong. He headed for the Great Hall to fetch Blaise, taking shortcuts until he arrived. He found a fuming Blaise with her wand out in front of a smirking Draco Malfoy with his goons. A quick Legilimency on one of the students told Harry what happened between the two students in front of him.

"I will teach you how to treat your superiors, mudblood," said Draco Malfoy pointing his wand at Blaise and beginning a spell, not aware of the new teacher watching them.

"Expelliarmus."

Malfoy's wand flew to his hand, making the younger boy look at him and sneer.

"I would appreciate it if you do not raise your wand on my apprentice again, Mr. Malfoy or it will be the last thing you would ever do with that hand," warned Harry calmly. Malfoy sneered but nodded and Harry motioned for Blaise to come near him.

"And ten points from Slytherin for insulting me behind my back, Mr. Malfoy. If I hear another insult towards myself, my apprentice or any of the staff members, there will be consequences and you will not like them. Am I understood?" The Slytherin trio nodded their heads scornfully.

"Yes professor."

Harry and Blaise went to the classroom, awaiting the sixth year's class. Harry turned towards his apprentice and motioned for her to stand in front of him.

"Take out your wand, Blaise," said Harry. Blaise took out her wand, waiting for Harry's instructions.

"You will first learn to disarm skillfully and rapidly," said Harry "We will draw our wands and disarm. I want you to do so as fast as you can." Blaise nodded her head and got ready. The first time, Blaise was struggling with getting her wand out of her pocket.

"Wear this, I have spare so I won't be using it," Harry said, giving her his holster. They proceeded to practice until the class began to fill in with Gryffindors and Slytherins. Blaise improved until she was at least able to have her wand out and begin the incantation before she was disarmed. It was a definite improvement since Harry's hand was a blur with his wand.

"Good Morning, My name is Simon Nicholas Dumbledore. You may call me Professor Nicholas or Professor Simon to avoid confusion," said Simon cheerfully. He called the names of the students pausing less than a second on the names Weasley and Granger. He banished the chairs and desks and enlarged the room.

"This year, we are going to cover dueling, Counter curses and hexes and Advanced Dark creatures and how to protect yourself against them," said Simon to the surprisingly attentive 6th years. "We will start with Dark Creatures, specifically, the werewolves. Can anyone tell me the strengths and weaknesses of the werewolves?" Several students raised their hands, including Hermione.

"Miss Granger?"

"The werewolves have extremely high physical powers and senses. Their magic is also most powerful around the full moon, though the overall magic increases when a person is cursed with lycanthropy. The silver is fatal to werewolves," answered Hermione beaming.

"Correct, Miss Granger, 10 points to Gryffindor. Although silver is fatal to werewolves, it is not their only weakness. There is an artifact, when played, can be fatal to werewolves. It is called the Exitialis Lupus flute," explained Harry. He continued to talk about characteristics of the werewolves and the spells lethal to them

"The incantation of the spell to use against a werewolf is _Argentum spiculum. _The wand movements is a circle with a jab in the middle of the circle," explained Harry. They practiced on a wall until the end of the lesson, Harry's eyes avoiding his two best friends, waiting for them to be informed of his survival by Dumbledore first.

* * *

Dumbledore summoned Hermione and Ron to his office in the afternoon, since both of them had no other lessons. McGonagall, who had no clue as to why the teenagers were summoned, was confused. Those two stayed out of trouble after Harry's death, which hit them hard. They sat down waiting for their headmaster to begin.

"Hello Ron, Hermione," greeted Dumbledore softly. Both teenagers raised an eyebrow at their headmaster's greetings. It must be something very important for the headmaster to call them by their first name, as he usually called only Harry and the adults by their first name.

"Good afternoon, headmaster. We are not in trouble, are we?" asked Hermione nervously. It was the first time that she was summoned to the headmaster's office, after Harry's funeral and it was making her very nervous.

"I have good news which certainly will lift your spirits," paused Dumbledore, then continued, "Harry is alive."

The news took a while to sink in, but when it did, Hermione burst into tears and grinned joyfully while Ron fell down from his chair, expressionless for a few moments before what the headmaster said dawned on him, and then grinned fully.

"Where is he, Professor? Is he alright?" asked Hermione and Ron in unison.

"Harry is alright. He had an accident, which made him unable to contact anyone until today morning," said Dumbledore smiling kindly. Hermione hoped that nothing bad had happened from the accident. She had missed her best friend and had spent four months thinking that he was dead.

"When is he coming to Hogwarts professor? Can we see him?" asked Ron grinning.

"Unfortunately, you won't be seeing Harry for a while" said Dumbledore, making the smiles fall from their faces. "Harry is training with Aurors and hit wizards, so he would be able to fulfill his destiny."

"His destiny?" asked Hermione.

"Harry will play an important role in this war, so he must be trained to fight and unfortunately, he won't finish his training for a while. But rest assured that you will see him soon," replied Dumbledore gently. He dismissed them and returned to his thoughts, wondering what Harry was keeping secret and what the coming events will hold.


	9. Adoptions and Protections

**Chapter 9: Adoption and Protection**

"Again," shouted Harry, raising his conjured sword. They were standing in the middle of Harry's classroom, each holding a sword in his hand. Harry was trying to teach Blaise the basics of sword fighting.

It was the middle of November and there were no signs of his blood brother or his girlfriend, and Harry was beginning to worry. They should have been here by now, since the spell casters had to recover in a month or two.

Blaise raised her sword and attacked, slashing diagonally at Harry, who blocked and attacked her. They spared for a few seconds before Harry disarmed her skillfully, while Blaise was panting from trying to touch her teacher, let alone disarm him.

"Good. Take a break and be ready for your next lesson," said Harry. He took a quick shower in his quarters and sat down to read the papers and drink his coffee when a house elf appeared in front of him.

"Master is requested at Headmaster Dumbledore's office," said the house elf formally and disappeared. Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing and headed for the Headmaster's office. The gargoyle bowed and stepped aside, letting Harry through to the office. Harry opened the office door to find Natasha, the half vampire princess and Dumbledore talking quietly.

"Good morning Simon, please sit down," said Dumbledore cheerfully. Harry nodded to the half vampire and sat down on the opposite chair, waiting for Dumbledore to begin talking. Fawkes flew to Harry and settled on his shoulder, trilling a few notes. Harry rubbed the Fawkes' chest, making the phoenix purr a trill in delight.

"I summoned you here, Simon, for three things. First, I would like to extend you an invitation to join the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore "It is an O…"

"No," Harry interrupted firmly

"What?" Dumbledore asked, confused.

"No, I won't join your Order," repeated Harry firmly.

"Why don't you want to join, Simon?" asked Dumbledore "You always wanted to join and help defeat Voldemort when you were younger." Dumbledore was confused and shocked at Harry's refusal to join the order.

"First, I will follow orders from no one, Headmaster. Second, all you do is sort out the mess after a battle takes place, which is no different from what the ministry does. Third, you do not begin the attacks on the Death Eaters, but rather defend only, which is not a productive thing, and that will not end the war. Finally, you fight with the intent to capture or stun and Voldemort will free the captured or revive the stunned and will be able to continue the fight. So please, prey tell, why would I join?" finished Simon, raising an eyebrow. Dumbledore remained silent, a defeated expression on his face. Natasha was shocked at the words of Simon to his Grandfather but kept her mouth shut.

"What are the other reasons for summoning me here, Headmaster?" said Harry impatiently, waiting for the old wizard to answer. Natasha began shaking a little at this point, making Harry narrow his eyes slightly.

"Voldemort hired some mercenaries, vampire hunters to be exact. I would like you to protect Princess Natasha, using any means necessary," explained Dumbledore gravely.

"And why don't you let your pet birds protect her, Dumbledore?" Harry snapped, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not a bloody babysitter. I have an apprentice and a job to look after."

"I have already tried that, Simon. They were killed on duty and Natasha barely escaped," said Dumbledore, with sadness in his eyes.

"Who did they kill?"

"Mundungus Fletcher and Emmeline Vance," replied Dumbledore.

"Why did you come to me, then?" said Harry raising an eyebrow. It was not as if there was no one capable of protecting the half vampire. Most of the order members were capable duelers and had been fighting against Voldemort for a long time now.

"You are a Master swordsman, and the hunters are swordsmen," replied Dumbledore smiling proudly at Harry.

"And how would you know that, headmaster?" said Harry coldly, narrowing his eyes. "Why the hell are you spying on me?"

"I'm not spying on you, Simon. I was merely passing by when I saw your apprentice sparring with you. I assumed that you were a sword master and you just confirmed my suspicions," explained Dumbledore cheerfully, earning a growl from Harry and a soft giggle from Natasha.

"I will do it, on certain conditions," said Harry. Dumbledore nodded for Harry to continue. "You do not interfere with how I do the job, you keep your pet birds out of my way and leave me to use the forest," stated Harry firmly and Dumbledore nodded.

"Very well, Simon," said Dumbledore smiling. He turned to Natasha and said kindly, "I believe you have 4th year Gryffindors and Slytherins, Natasha. I will be chatting with my grandson for a while since he has no lessons except in the after noon, today."

Natasha nodded and left the office, after thanking Harry profusely, leaving Harry with the Headmaster.

"What else do you need, Albus?" sighed Harry, rubbing his temple to keep his headache from increasing. Dumbledore stood up and walked to a drawer and took some papers out of them, closing it gently afterwards and returning to his seat behind the desk. His expression turned serious and his twinkle dimmed, something which made Harry worry, since Dumbledore rarely had that expression unless something very serious had happened.

"Yesterday, I've received a summoning to the will of Severus Snape. He left me with something that is more than I can handle at the moment and I was willing that you would help me with it," explained the headmaster gravely. Harry nodded for his headmaster to continue, leaning forward to hear what Dumbledore wanted to say.

"What no one knew until yesterday, not even me, that Severus was married and had a daughter. His wife died during birth and left him to raise his daughter. She is a year old child, named Heather Snape, after her mother," said Dumbledore, grimly. "In his will, Severus entrusted young Heather to me, as her guardian, since he had no other living relatives."

"What does this have to do with me, Headmaster?" Harry asked, confused.

"I want you to take care of young Heather, Harry, and be her guardian," Harry started to open his mouth in protest, but Dumbledore raised a hand, motioning for Harry to let him speak.

"I know that I'm dumping on you serious responsibilities, Harry, but please hear me out. I am too old to raise a child, Harry, or I would have raised you myself instead of leaving you at the Dursleys," Dumbledore began softly, clearing his throat.

"I'm nearing my next great adventure and I may not see the end of this war, so I don't have the ability to look after a child. I could have given this responsibility to anyone and they would have gladly accepted. However, there is no one I would trust with my life and Heather's than you. This is why I need you to accept this, holding no grudge that she is Severus' daughter against her as Severus did with you. Despite our differences, your powers had surpassed mine and you will be the next leader of the light after my death."

"Old Snape would be tossing in his grave and screaming bloody murder if he knew that I'll raise his daughter. I've lived with the Dursleys all my life, Albus, so I've never had a parental figure nor did I know love from my relatives. I know nothing about raising a child since I was not one. I don't want her to live a childhood like mine, just because I was a lousy guardian," protested Harry softly.

Dumbledore chuckled and patted Harry on the back, replying. "You will be a wonderful father, Harry, and a great Leader."

"Where is she, Albus?" asked Harry, smiling softly.

"She is with Madam Pomfrey, right now. We can go visit her now, if you want," said Dumbledore smiling.

Harry nodded and stood pointing his wand at the glass case, which encompassed the sword. The case flew open and the sword came to him. A tingle of warmth spread through his arm as the sword landed in his hand, recognizing and welcoming its original master.

"I always knew that you were the Heir of Gryffindor, since only the heir is capable of summoning this sword," explained Dumbledore. Harry shook his head and replied mysteriously, "I'm not the Heir of Gryffindor, Albus, and this is not Godric's sword."

Dumbledore looked mystified but said nothing as Harry sheathed the sword in a scabbard on his back, which became visible as the sword neared it. Harry sighed and sheathed the sword, wishing for the thousand times that Salazar and Rowena would hurry up.

"Your personal wards on the school are not working, Headmaster," said Harry as the two of them walked down towards the hospital wing, chatting about the school.

"What do you mean, Simon? The wards are working fine," replied Dumbledore confused.

"You know that in order for your wards to work with the school wards, you need to weave them, or they would react negatively," explained Harry. Dumbledore nodded and checked his wards again, finding them weak, took weak for him to notice but not gone.

"You are right, but Alas, I do not have the ability to manipulate the main wards without killing myself in the process. The main wards are weaker than they used to be at the time of the founders, making the school vulnerable to attack," said Dumbledore, sighing.

"They are not becoming weaker, Headmaster. They are just inactive, since some of them would require ancient spells to reactivate again," said Harry knowingly. He designed some of these wards and their structures were planted in his mind.

"How do you know so much about wards, Simon? Especially the wards of Hogwarts?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Not even the staff members knew anything about the wards surrounding Hogwarts. It was something privy to the headmaster of Hogwarts and him alone.

"I've studied them thoroughly," said Harry, shrugging. "And it's not the time yet for you to know any of my secrets yet." Dumbledore said nothing but looked sad that his relationship with his favorite pupil was that bad.

Harry mentally asked Hogwarts to recharge the main wards and supplied the school with some of his power to do the recharging. Instantly Dumbledore felt the wards around Hogwarts strengthen hundred folds, as if they were new. He looked at Harry but found nothing suspicious, with his wand not in his hand and the sword on his back. However, he suspected that somehow, Harry had something to do with it.

They arrived at the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey led them to a private ward, where a child was sleeping on the bed. The little girl had black hair and an angelic face that immediately took its place in Harry's heart.

"She is fine," said Madam Pomfrey, entering the room. "She is just tired." Harry nodded his head and took the child in his arms, careful not to wake her. They walked back to Harry's quarters, with Heather in Harry's arms, sleeping contently.

The students were surprised to see their usually stern DADA professor, humming to the child in his arms, a soft look on his face. Dumbledore could not help but smile when he saw Harry's happy face, knowing that he made the right choice.

'_A great father indeed,' _was Dumbledore's single thought as he watched the scene before him.

They reached the headquarters, where they saw Blaise and Bellatrix talking. Both girls saw Harry carrying the child and different expressions flashed through their faces. Harry thought he saw a look of betrayal on Bellatrix's face and decided to explain.

The girls' mouth dropped open when Harry finished his explanation and cooed as the little girl woke up, yawning. Brilliant blue eyes looked back at Harry as if sizing him up, try to determine something. After a few seconds of silence, Heather's little fingers touched Harry's cheek and she giggled, making Harry grin in return. No one in the room had ever seen Harry look that happy, or the soft expression on his face. Dumbledore handed him the papers, passing the guardianship over to Harry, which Harry signed enthusiastically.

"Hello little one, I'm Harry and I'm going to take care of you from now on," said Harry, a soft smile on his face. He turned to Dumbledore and said, "I am going to perform the adoption ritual, professor."

"Are you sure about that, Harry?" asked Dumbledore, the twinkle back in his eyes full force. The adoption ritual binds a child to the caster as a parent, making the child take some of the characteristics of the bloodline and the parent.

"Would you consent to be our bonder, Albus?"

Dumbledore and Harry took out their wands. Harry pointed his at Heather and Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry. They started to chant and Harry made a small cut on his thumb and applied a drop of blood on the child's forehead, where it was absorbed. A white light was emitted from Harry's wand, encircling Heather like a safety blanket, which was joined after a few moments by a red glow that circled Harry. It was after a minute the light receded into Harry and Heather.

Heather opened her eyes, which was now a bluish green color, and her nose looked more like Harry's nose than it was before. Her hair was black but with strange red strips to it. Harry also noted a significant increase in her magical power, which made him unsure as to whether it was unsafe for her to be that powerful at such a young age.

"Congratulations Harry," said Dumbledore with a kind smile. The girls had tears of happiness in their eyes and hugged Harry. Harry hugged his new daughter to him, finally having a reason to fight through the war.

Blaise, Dumbledore, and Bellatrix left Harry with his new daughter and headed to do their work/school matters. As they exited his quarters, Harry took out his wand and applied a powerful privacy shield around him then closed his eyes in concentration.

A few moments later, a flash of fire coursed threw the room and stopped in front of Harry. It was a red and golden phoenix, with a white zigzag on its head. Harry had met this phoenix during one of his wanderings in the Forbidden forest.

Calidus had a broken wing as it engaged an eagle who was trying to eat her eggs, in a fierce combat resulting in the eagle's death and the phoenix's injury. Harry nursed Calidus back to health and it was then that the phoenix had shed a special tear on his head, though it had refused to bond with Harry for some reason that was a mystery.

"Hello Calidus, my old friend. It is good to see you," said Harry as the phoenix trilled, rubbing its head against Harry's neck.

"I need a favor from you," Harry said to the phoenix. The phoenix seemed to nod, so Harry continued.

"This is my daughter, Heather," said Harry. "I know that you are not my familiar but I need you to protect her." The phoenix, Calidus, lowered her head and a golden tear fell on the child's forehead, leaving a small mark behind.

Harry was shocked and grateful as the phoenix cried the golden tear. Phoenixes had three types of tears: Red, Golden, and Clear. The Clear tear was a common one, which was a healing tear. The red tear was for a telepathic link and a rare tear that phoenixes almost never shed.

The Golden one was a tear of protection and nearly unheard of, with exception of a few cases through history. It's an extremely rare tear for a phoenix to shed. It was the strongest type of protection anyone could have, and Calidus had declared Heather its child by the tear and protection.

"Thank… you, Calidus," said Harry trying not to stutter, as he was touched by the gift that his phoenix friend had bestowed upon the child.

_It was a pleasure, my child. _Calidus said, before flashing away. Heather was asleep with an angelic face and the blessing and protection of a phoenix on her forehead.


	10. Horcrux Annihilation

**Written by Egyptian Flame**

**Edited by Master Slytherin**

**Chapter 10: Horcrux Annihilation **

Harry kissed his crawling daughter on the forehead, left her in the care of Bella and Blaise and headed up to the Headmaster's office. He received a letter from Dumbledore when he awoke requesting him urgently in his office. Harry took off from his room, taking shortcuts until he arrived in front of the Headmaster's office. He could have taken a shortcut to the office itself, but he did not want the Headmaster to get ideas into his head.

Harry and the other founders had decided that they needed shortcuts to and from everywhere, in case of any emergency. Even though they could Apparate anywhere in the castle, the students and teachers couldn't.

He arrived at the gargoyle, which sprang aside as Harry neared it, revealing the stairs to Dumbledore's office. He knocked firmly and waited for the Headmaster to acknowledge him.

"Enter," said a wise old voice from the other side of the door.

Harry entered the office, his eyes roaming over every corner of the room around him before sitting down in front of the headmaster. Dumbledore sat down behind his desk with a familiar Pensieve and number of bottles filled with liquid beside him. Dumbledore waved his wand around the room, activating privacy charms and brought his attention back at Harry from his half moon glasses.

"Good morning, Harry," Dumbledore greeted with a serious expression on his face. "I brought you here urgently because I think that it is time for you to know what you have to face before battling Voldemort."

"What do you mean, Albus?" said Harry confused.

"Voldemort took a number of precautions against death, using something I'm not sure you know about," said Dumbledore gravely. Harry raised an eyebrow at the seriousness of the situation but said nothing.

"What is it?" Dumbledore sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders before continuing.

"When you came back from the graveyard after the third task, you gave me your memory of the incident. I revisited the memory several times and studied it thoroughly and came to a conclusion.

"Have you ever heard of Horcruxes, Harry?" asked Dumbledore. Harry's expression remained blank and feigned ignorance, not giving any indication that he knew. However, inside he was seething and cursing.

'_Why the hell are the fates doing this to me? Leave it to Voldemort to fuck my life up!' _

Harry knew what the Horcruxes are from Salazar's family library, and discussed the subject thoroughly with Salazar. The Horcruxes were the blackest part of magic anyone could ever achieve and one of the hardest, short of summoning demons. If Dumbledore discovered Harry's knowledge of the Horcruxes, he would think Harry to be a Dark Lord in training or a Death Eater.

"A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul," Dumbledore explained seriously, bowed his head for a second. He continued to explain about the Horcruxes to Harry, who sat there listening intently. Harry suddenly found himself remembering words he had heard nearly two years before: _"I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost . . . but still, I was alive."_

"I can't believe he did that," said Harry in disbelief after Dumbledore finished his explanation.

"I'm afraid he did, Harry. Tom was a very intelligent student and provided with the knowledge, he achieved his ultimate goal in the form of Horcruxes."

"What are you planning to do about that, headmaster?" asked Harry, sighing in annoyance.

"These are memories of Tom Riddle's childhood, which would explain and help you know your enemy, Harry. We will discuss what we shall do after you view and study them thoroughly," said Dumbledore, giving Harry several bottles filled with memories. Harry nodded his head and stood up, pocketing the bottles and heading for the door.

"Harry," called Dumbledore, making him turn to face the old man, "I want you to know that you will not be alone in this. And I hope you will be able to trust me in the future." Harry nodded his head and left the headmaster's office, thinking about the happenings of the previous few days.

He entered the room and searched for his daughter. He found her asleep in Bella's arms while Blaise was practicing with her sword in another room.

'_She looks like an angel, something so pure that shouldn't be in this kind of world,' _he thought with a smile as he kissed the little girl on the forehead before kissing Bella on the cheek.

"Hey, how was the little angel?" asked Harry softly. Bella bore all the trademarks of a rough day; her eyes were red and her hair disheveled. Harry felt sorry for leaving Bella to deal with the baby by herself.

"She crawled, played, giggled, and cried enough for a life time," said Bella grinning jadedly.

'_Thank Merlin they're here. I wouldn't have been able to take care of her alone,' _Harry thought gratefully. He spent the day with his daughter and friends, reviewing the memories later at night when both girls went to sleep.

* * *

Harry was sitting, thinking about what he saw in the Pensieve when Hogwarts alerted him to intruders in the Forbidden forest. Harry grabbed his sword and wand and headed down, taking shortcuts until he arrived outside. He entered the forbidden forest; sword raised high and wand in hand, waiting for any sign of attack. Suddenly, he felt a push on his mental shields and growled, taking an attacking stance and waiting for the vampire to show himself. Vampires used Hypnosis to lure their victim so they would be able to drink the victim's blood. A figure lunged with a sword in hand, aiming at Harry's head.

With a flash, Harry's sword met the incoming one with a reverberating clang. The vampire leapt again; faking an aim at Harry's hip and slashing upwards. Harry avoided the incoming fatal blow and swung his sword at the opening defense of the vampire, severing its left hand.

"You will die today, mortal, as will the whore of a princess you're protecting," growled the vampire. Harry's eye widened as he thought about what the vampire meant.

'_These are the hunters? Vampires? Why would they kill their princess?' _Harry thought as he dodged an incoming attack. At the same time, Harry and his attacker's swords collided, each one trying to force his power over the other. Harry suddenly fell backwards, making the vampire almost fall on top of him, and grabbed a sharp piece of wood nearby, piercing the vampire's heart with it.

'_Amateur,'_ thought Harry, before he realized something. His blood ran cold and a boiling fury erupted inside him.

"Oh God! Natasha!"

Harry ran angrily all the way back to the castle, and as he entered the wards of the Hogwarts, he heard the school screaming a warning of other intruders inside. He ran through shortcuts until he reached the door to the vampire princess's room and entered in time to see one of the vampires raising his sword and another restraining Natasha, whose tears were spilling down her face and her robes torn. Harry thought quickly, as he could not use his wand in fear of killing Natasha, he settled for a sword fight. He threw the stick he used before at the other vampire, which hit the vampire's hand that held the sword, disabling him.

"Not so fast boys, you've made a terrible mistake by laying your hands on her. I would advise you to step away from her quietly and I might let you go," said Harry, sneering in disgust. He had always hated the vampires, but he forced his mind to calm down and concentrate on the task.

"You insolent mortal, you will pay for what you've done," hissed one of the vampires and slapped Natasha, bringing blood to her face before turning to Harry. Harry's eyes flashed angrily and his aura flashed around him like a blanket.

"You will regret ever doing that," growled Harry as his hate fueled his determination to kill these vampires. The two vampires attacked at the same time, bringing their swords down at Harry.

"Oh! By the way, the junior says hello from beyond the grave," said Harry as he dodged incoming slashes and attacked back. He used his wand to conjure sharp sticks and banish them towards the vampires. One of the vampires managed to make a deep cut on Harry's arm, which was a bit of a mistake.

"Wrong move, boys. **Spiritus cruentus,"** growled Harry furiously, pointing both hands at the attackers. It was a very old blood magic spell he learned while staying with the vampires. The vampire attacker had to hold hate for you and vice-versa and he had to shed your blood for the user to cast this spell. Both vampires screamed loudly as the spell hit its target and pain erupted in their bodies. His hate for bullies added to what the vampire did to Natasha fueled the spell hundred fold. The last thing both vampires saw was Harry's furious face before both of them were beheaded.

Harry couldn't use the same spell on the vampire he fought in the forest since the emotions the vampire had was superiority and excitement at having to prove himself to his elders by killing a powerful wizard. Both vampires had not expected anybody to know that particular spell since it was old and forgotten and this was their bane. The spell also took a lot out of him so doing it twice would have exhausted him too much to fight.

Harry found himself in a hug by a crying Natasha, who was shaking from head to toe at having been near death moments before. Harry cursed mentally at having to wait for Rowena and Salazar so he would be able to re-activate the wards, which included wards against Dark creatures. He waved his wand in a sweeping motion, making everything in the room fly back to its place and every broken glass repair itself. When he was satisfied, he took the crying princess and laid her on the bed where she held to his arm until she fell asleep. He healed some of the bruises on her so that they were not as serious until Madam Pomfrey could see to her.

He untangled his arm from her and stood up in the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and began chanting softly, imagining every part of the room in his mind and waving his wand. Seven runes appeared in the air in front of Harry, four of them applied themselves in every corner of the room. The three other runes glowed brilliantly before transforming into three balls of light. The balls had threads connecting between them and the runes in the corners, glowing softly before Harry finished his chant by pointing the wand at the sleeping Vampiress and muttering softly.

**"_Celo_ _polleo presentia." _**

The room glowed and two of the balls formed into one and sank in the ground while the last one disappeared into the sleeping Vampiress. Dizziness overtook him as he finished applying the ward just as Dumbledore entered the room, followed by McGonagall and the other professors.

"Simon, what happened?" asked Dumbledore urgently, raising his wand in alarm. Harry sighed and looked at Dumbledore, sending him a mental message through Legilimency.

"_The hunters attacked and I killed them." _Dumbledore managed to hide a gasp of surprise at the easiness that Harry spoke when he said that he had killed the hunters.

"_You didn't have to kill them, Harry,"_ replied Dumbledore through the same method.

"They were vampires," said Harry loudly this time. Gasps echoed through the room but Dumbledore's gasp was not for the same reason. The same question that went through Harry's head was running through Dumbledore's mind.

'_Why would vampires kill their princess?'_

The group left the room, leaving Dumbledore and Harry to walk behind, talking quietly.

"This ward is very old and powerful Harry, I never thought you would know them," said Dumbledore conversationally. Harry shrugged and replied tiredly.

What he performed was a variation of the Fidelius charm, though it worked on emotions. No one with negative emotions would be able to enter the room, including those who were masking their emotions through Occlumency.

The difference between this one and the one Dumbledore evoked at the Dursley's home was that the one Harry had cast could be taken down by another wizard, although it would take several powerful wizards several hours to do so. However, Dumbledore's wards could not be taken down except by Dumbledore himself and they were based on blood.

"I would advise you to not underestimate me, headmaster. Voldemort underestimated a child and ended up as a spirit for 14 years," was the last thing Harry said before going to sleep.

* * *

"Today, we are going to talk about the history of one of the best magic users of this century," began Harry, clearing his throat. Excited whispers broke through the students as they anticipated a history lesson about their headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Some were confused as to why they were learning about Dumbledore and why all the students would learn about him in the same lesson instead of a history lesson with Binns.

He asked Dumbledore's permission to teach this specific lesson to all the students, with no exceptions, so they gathered the students in the great hall. All of Hogwarts including teachers, ghosts and house-elves, gathered to listen to what the new professor had to say. Harry and Dumbledore decided that, in order to unite everyone, they had to understand what was happening around them and learn to fight their fears.

"We will not be learning about Headmaster Dumbledore. You can find his history on any chocolate frog cards." Laughter rippled through the students, and Harry motioned for quiet and continued the history lesson.

"He was an orphan boy, born to a muggle father and a pureblood mother. He never knew his mother since she died giving birth to him and he was sent to a muggle orphanage. His father abandoned his mother when he learned that she was a witch leaving his mother virtually penniless.

"His childhood was not a happy one at the orphanage. Tom Marvolo Riddle grew up hating the muggles around him, vowing one day to have his revenge on those who wronged him."

Three gasps echoed through the silence, which made most of the students look their direction. Hermione and Ron paled and gasped while Ginny Weasley had gone extremely white when she heard the accursed name that brought her nightmares.

"Miss Weasley, If you do not want to attend this particular lesson, you may be excused," said McGonagall quietly to Ginny. She shook her head and replied with a glint of determination. "No professor, I will be fine. I was just surprised." McGonagall nodded her head and went back to her seat, motioning for Simon to continue.

He had forgotten that Ginny would be attending and guilt welled up in him at the thought that he caused her to remember the pain and experience with the Diary. Harry cleared his mind from these thoughts and continued with his lesson, which was proving to difficult to continue.

"Tom Riddle was extremely cunning and intelligent, perhaps one of the most intelligent students to ever attend Hogwarts. He knew from a young age that he had power and that he was special. He practiced that power on animals and the other boys at the orphanage, attacking and hurting them with his magic. It was not until he attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry that he found the means to have his revenge.

"He was a handsome, polite student and the best in all of his classes, following the rules and urging his few acquaintances to do the same. Tom was sorted in Slytherin and was most teachers' favorite student, except one teacher, who had visited him at the orphanage for the first time. Professor Albus Dumbledore, the transfiguration teacher at that time was suspicious of young Tom Riddle, and had kept an eye on him after the death of a student named Myrtle.

"If Tom Riddle was afraid of anything, he was afraid of death and of Albus Dumbledore. He delved into the more obscure and powerful branches of magic, learning all he could about battle spells and forbidden curses. After years of gathering followers and performing dangerous rituals, young Tom Riddle began killing people, fashioning himself a new name, one that all people fear today." Harry finished his speech, wrote with his wand 'Tom Marvolo Riddle', and waved it so that it rearranged itself to 'I am lord Voldemort'.

Several gasps echoed through the Great Hall, when the information dawned on them. Harry nodded to a witch at the back, who was writing what Harry said during his lecture, at his invitation. Rita Skeeter smiled as she finished the article about the History of the Dark Lord, which would be a shock to the magical world.

* * *

"_Rudolphus, I want that ring found," hissed Voldemort angrily. The Death Eaters gathered in a circle in front of Voldemort, bowing, and each of them hoping to avoid the Cruciatus. _

"_I will find it my Lord," said Rudolphus, bowing low. Voldemort turned to Wormtail who was shaking in front of him. _

"_Wormtail," hissed Voldemort. The rat-like Death Eater shivered convulsively with fear and bowed lower._

"_Y-yes M-master," stuttered Wormtail. _

"_I want you to find the blood traitor and bring her to me. Kill Bella if you encounter her, but I need the Zabini girl alive," hissed Voldemort. _

"_Y-yes master," said Wormtail, turning to leave. _

"_Did I give you permission to leave, Peter?" Voldemort said grinning maniacally. "Crucio!"

* * *

_

"These would be impossible to find Dumbledore," said Harry, sitting in the Headmaster's office the next day. Madam Pomfrey treated Natasha from the bruises and hits of the vampires and the Potion Mistress was up and healthy. She thanked Harry profusely for saving her life and for the ward that he applied the day before. Harry and Dumbledore sat in the headmaster's office discussing the memories Harry viewed and the Horcruxes.

"You've already destroyed one of the seven, Harry," mentioned Dumbledore, drinking mead from one of the cups in front of him. Harry had a confused expression on his face that allowed Dumbledore to continue.

"The Diary," said Dumbledore. Realization dawned on Harry and he sighed mentally with relief.

'_That's one less object to search for.' _Harry thought gratefully.

"I suspect that there are six other Horcruxes, one of which is in Voldemort's body. I've managed to locate one but I will need to get it from where it is." Harry nodded his head in understanding and relief. At least they knew about the Horcruxes and the location of some of them.

"I also have another Horcrux, the ring of Slytherin," said Dumbledore, showing Harry the case, which held the cursed ring. Harry suppressed a gasp at seeing the Slytherin family ring, which he had only seen once in a memory that Salazar showed him of the Slytherin family.

"I need your help to destroy it," asked Dumbledore thoughtfully. Harry frowned but nodded his head and took out his wand.

'_Why would Dumbledore need my help in destroying it? He is very well capable of doing so alone,' _Harry thought with a frown but said nothing.

"I'm ready when you are, headmaster," said Harry, mentally cursing his fortune and cursing Voldemort for making his life harder than it already was.

"We need to find a suitable place to destroy it as I'm afraid the magical backlash from destroying a soul would be enormous," explained Dumbledore, rubbing his beard.

"How about using the Chamber of Secrets? It is far under the school and it is well protected," suggested Harry slowly.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he gave a small tired smile.

"That is an excellent idea, Harry. Shall we?" Harry nodded and they left the office, heading for Myrtle's bathroom. They talked casually until they reached the bathroom, where both of them entered. Harry searched for the tap where the snake was engraved and hissed, "_Open" _

The taps formed a pipe and with another hiss, it formed stairs for them to descend, something that Harry missed the first time he was there. They proceeded until they reached the statue of Harry's blood brother under which the basilisk's corps still lay. Dumbledore was looking around in fascination since he never visited the chamber after Harry's adventure.

Harry stood between the two lines of snakes on either side and hissed, "_Shut up Sal." _

It was an amusing password, which Harry chose, but it was effective. Every entrance and exit of the chamber closed and a barrier appeared on the walls, floor and ceiling. It was a security measure that Harry and Salazar installed, when they needed a place to duel or do something dangerous as it allowed them to not be disturbed by the outer world. Salazar was not amused by the password but did nothing to change it.

"How did you do that, Harry? You've only been in this chamber once," asked an astonished Dumbledore, with a suspicious glance.

Harry shrugged and replied, "A lot more than once, Headmaster, and it does not matter. We have a matter to attend to, I believe." Dumbledore nodded and they placed the ring on the floor. They took a few steps back and pointed their wands at the ring, which lay on the floor of the chamber, glittering in the murky light.

"**Attero ****concutio substantia immundus Animus!"** shouted Harry and Dumbledore together, letting go of the raw power needed to perform the spell. An inhuman scream echoed through the chamber before both wizards were flung back by the backlash of the destroyed soul. Although they raised powerful shields, the force was enough to send them flying through the chamber. Dumbledore was able to cushion himself in time but Harry was not as lucky as he hit the wall at a sickening speed, dislocating his shoulder and knocking him out.


	11. Revelations and Retaliation

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognise belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 11: Revelations and Retaliation **

**Written by: Egyptian Flame**

**Edited by: Master Slytherin**

**The Most Powerful Dark Lord … A Half Blood! **

By Special Reporter Rita Skeeter.

_Yesterday at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Simon Dumbledore, the Defense against the Dart Arts teacher and the Headmaster's grandson, provided a history lesson about the current Dark Lord. It appears that He Who Must Not Be Named was a Hogwarts graduate of 1945. It was the same year the former Dark Lord Grindelwald was defeated by Albus Dumbledore. The Dark Lord's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle who attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin. Your _Daily Prophet _reporter can exclusively reveal that He Who Must Not Be Named is a half blood and was responsible for the opening of the Chamber of Secrets._

_While his insight was welcome, your reporter wonders how Simon Dumbledore, mysterious grandson appearing out of nowhere, would know all this information about the Dark Lord. Is it possible to trust one who knows so much about He Who Must Not Be Named? It would not be the first time a Dark Wizard was appointed a Professor. Simon and Albus Dumbledore were both unavailable for comment._

_History of Albus Dumbledore… page 4, 5_

_History of Simon Dumbledore…page 6_

_History of the Dark Lord… page 7, 8

* * *

_

In the dark and gloomy environment of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where many of the Order of the Phoenix's meeting occurred, sat Arthur Weasley in the morning for breakfast. He greeted Molly, who rose early to clean and prepare food, and sat down. Arthur reached for the newspaper that was brought by an owl as he sipped the coffee that his wife had prepared for him and turned to the Daily prophet.

Coffee sprayed from his mouth as he read the headline, with a little boy's image and a drawing of Voldemort draped across the front page. He continued to read silently but a shriek told him that Molly had seen the headline.

* * *

Harry laid the Daily Prophet with a smile on his face. A sense of satisfaction filled him as he imagined the rage Voldemort would have at his closely guarded history being broadcast in thousands of homes. He rubbed his sore neck, drinking some coffee and eating a piece of toast. He was not ready for the force that had thrown him across the chamber of secrets, something he vowed not to do again. He had let his guard down, thinking that the spell would only destroy the soul with no repercussions. He ate his toast and finished his coffee, then headed towards his first lesson with 5th year Gryffindors and Slytherins.

* * *

"Are you ready?" asked Helga, tears rolling down her cheek freely.

"Why can't we go as well?" demanded Godric, trying with all his might to keep his emotions in check.

"Because you must stay and look after the school, Godric," said Salazar, no sneer in his voice for once. "We are closest to him; surely you understand?"

Godric tried to nod but his head wouldn't budge. '_Why should they leave_', he thought furiously. Helga stroked his arm soothingly and he felt disgusted with himself for thinking so selfishly.

Godric and Helga hugged Rowena and Salazar, tears spilling down the best friends as they prepared to leave the time of their birth. The four were to be separated for the first time in years. Rowena and Salazar nodded and took their place inside the drawn circle with their pets beside them and their luggage shrunk in their pockets.

"**Peragro Aetas.**_**"** _Raw power erupted from Godric's and Helga's wands, forming a blinding circle of light around Salazar and Rowena. The rune on the floor glowed and began to vibrate. Moments later, Godric and Helga fell to the floor from exhaustion, staring at the place where their best friends had stood a moment ago.

"Good Luck," whispered Godric softly as four became two. It was the last thing said before they passed out, only to be found later by their colleagues and transported to the hospital wing.

* * *

Silence was the only word to describe the atmosphere in the Slytherin common room as the Slytherin students sat processing every word they had heard from their teacher. You could see every student's expression, something rarely seen as their families trained them to hide their emotions and keep their faces blank.

Most of them were expressing either disbelief or outrage. The disbelief caused by discovering the past of the self-proclaimed heir of Slytherin that they were eager to follow; being a half blood, as impure as the dead golden boy, Harry Potter. And outrage, as they grew up believing the stories of the Heir of Slytherin, growing to worship him and eager to serve him to the best of their abilities and then discovering that he was nothing more than a half blood who deceived most of their families into believing otherwise.

Many suspecting students stormed the library, searching the records for any person called Tom Riddle and were disappointed to find only little information about him. Their teacher was indeed telling the truth about a boy named Tom Riddle attending Hogwarts and all that he said made sense, including the anagram. To find the hard truth that they were following someone with dirty muggle blood in him or that with all his immense power, Voldemort was not a pureblood shocked them into silence.

A certain blond haired pure blood was the most shocked with the revelation. He grew up learning that the Dark Lord was right and Dumbledore was wrong and that Malfoys bow to no one.

'_Why didn't father tell me about this? Did he know? Why the bloody hell is he bowing to a half blood when he was the one to tell me that Malfoys bow to no one?' _Draco thought blankly, his stunned disbelief apparent in his pale face. His shock turned to fear and anger for being ignorant and for his own parents lying to him about it. He decided on one action that seemed most rational to him as he ran towards his dormitory. He had no other option; he knew it was neither here nor there but it was better than the alternatives

The older Slytherin students wasted no time in writing to their families, demanding answers and seeking the truth. Anybody who looked at the sky viewed a remarkable sight. It was as if it was filled with black clouds, with the absence of rain and the presence of feathers.

However, the school owls were not the only ones cutting through the air. The Daily Prophet owls soared through the air, carrying the latest edition of the acclaimed newspaper.

* * *

At another corner, a raven haired, green-eyed wizard walked with his wand raised high, a 'point-me' spell in progress and a Lumos wandless spell with his other hand. One may have thought the wizard to be Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, if it were not for the absence of the scar or his more defined aristocratic look and stance. He wore a dark green robe with silver lining and his raven hair lay on his shoulders.

"Damn you, Potter. I hope you're happy now," grumbled the wizard as he walked through the Dark Forest he had landed in, separated from one of his best friends. He had been walking for the past three hours without stopping and was starting to get extremely irritated.

'_I don't know why the hell I cannot Apparate to Hogwarts. Where in hell are you Rowena?'_ thought Salazar Slytherin worriedly. If something had happened to Rowena, Harry will never forgive him. It was perhaps the only thing that would make Harry angry enough to hurt his blood brother.

He woke up in front of an abandoned house in the middle of the forest after being transported by the time traveling spell. Salazar wasted no time in moving to find Hogwarts after he failed to Apparate there. With the help of some of the snakes in the forest, Salazar was making his way through, hoping to reach any place that accommodated people. He did not know why he was separated from Rowena, but since the spell was never tested on more than one person, it may have had abnormal effects.

After a couple of miles, he found a street with two people sitting on the sidewalk, laughing and drinking some whiskey. From their robes and pointed hats, Salazar surmised they were wizards though he felt insulted that he would have to associate with such ruffians. He had a better idea though and sneered while he drew his wand and made eye contact with one of the wizards.

Images flashed in front of him but they were too hazy for him to identify, so he searched for the most populated part of the wizarding world. Pulling out from the wizard's mind, Salazar focused and apparated to the place he found in the drunken wizard's mind, Diagon Alley.

* * *

Meanwhile, a witch of ethereal beauty walked down the road of a village by the name of Godric's Hollow where she had just appeared. She was worried about what happened to Salazar since they were supposed to land together in the same place. She went over the spell in her head a hundred times and could not find a flaw in it. Her mind went back to what Harry had ever said about his world to her and Salazar, which was little, but was important to remember.

She could not wait to reunite with Harry, her Harry. It had been a long time since Harry left the past and she hoped with all her heart that he had not moved on since it was the only thought keeping her in tedious search for the time spell for the past year. Along with Rowena was an animal that looked like a cross between a wolf and a fox, trotting silently and cautiously beside Rowena. They headed towards the nearest bar by the name of 'Griffin's Tail' and entered it, making a beeline towards the bartender.

"Can I help you good lady?" asked the bartender in a strong Yorkshire accent while cleaning an already sparkling cup.

Rowena smiled and asked the bartender in perfect modern English, learned from Harry in their five years together, "Can you tell me how to get to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" He shot her a cautious look which made Rowena raise her eyebrows.

"You can take the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade station and walk from there," said the bartender. "But there be strange 'appenings at 'ogwarts fair lady. There be mutterings of a…I've said too much. Just…be careful around those that aren't familiar to you." Rowena frowned a little, having never heard of Hogwarts being a place to be cautious in or heard of a Knight Bus, but smiled politely again.

"Can you tell me how to board the knight bus? I grew up used to Floo and apparation," added Rowena smartly, seeing the suspicious frown on the bartender's face. The man raised an eyebrow but pointed outside.

"You have to go out to the pavement there, wave your wand in front of you and the Knight Bus will appear," replied the bartender gruffly, stacking the cups neatly. Rowena thanked the man and went outside. '_What is a bus thing,' _she thought.

She walked to the end of the path and waved her wand in front of her majestically. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, there was a deafening BANG and a second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt to exactly in front of where Rowena stood. They belonged to a violently purple, enormous machine on wheels. Gold letters on the windshield spelled, The Knight Bus. '_What have I got myself into,'_ thought Rowena. '_The things I do for you Harry.'_

"Welcome on the Knight Bus, emergency transport for witches and wizards…" said Stan, reading of a gnarled piece of parchment before being interrupted by Rowena.

"I need to go to Hogsmeade Station," interrupted Rowena, sighing in annoyance. Stan stepped aside and Rowena boarded the bus, sitting down tiredly.

"It will be an hour before we arrive at Hogsmeade, would you like something to drink?" Rowena declined, paid him and took a seat at the back.

* * *

Harry was teaching his 4th year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs, when a silver rock on his desk began to vibrate and emit a screeching sound. It was an alarm that Dumbledore had given Harry which would alert him of an attack. Harry waved his wand, silencing the object and turned quickly to his students.

"Class dismissed," said Harry, as he hurried to the headmaster's office. "No Homework tonight." He was gone before he could hear the cheers.

Seeing that he would be late for the battle, even with the shortcuts, Harry decided to do something he was saving as an element of surprise; he apparated silently to the Headmaster's office. Fortunately, Dumbledore was the only one there and no teachers or students had taken notice of Harry Apparating from the relatively deserted Defence Against the Dark Arts corridor. However, unfortunately, Dumbledore saw Harry Apparating inside his office with wide eyes and a look of disbelief.

"How did you do that, Harry? I thought only the Headmaster could perform such a feat!" The question was more one of suspicion than astonishment but Harry shrugged.

"I will tell you when we get back, Albus. Where is the attack?" asked Harry quickly, readying his wand.

Dumbledore's eyes turned grave as he replied. "Two."

"One of them in Diagon alley and the other in Azkaban," answered Dumbledore as some of the Order members burst into the room. Dumbledore readied Portkeys and gave them to the order members.

"You go to Azkaban and I will take care of Diagon Alley," Harry said firmly, taking a Portkey to Diagon Alley.

* * *

He appeared beside Flourish and Blotts, absorbing the scene in front of him. Death Eaters were killing and torturing left, right and centre giving no mercy to anyone. There was one particular figure who was killing people with a savage expertise which left Harry transfixed for a fraction of a second. He was torturing people with rage in his eyes and Harry knew instantly that it was the backlash of his history lesson. He hated himself when he realized that he caused all of this but resolved to finish the problem first then think of guilt later.

"RIDDLE!" he yelled in pure fury.

Lord Voldemort turned at the mention of his name. He found a wizard standing with his wand held high, radiating an aura of power around him. His rage grew at being called by his real name as he walked to where the wizard stood, waiting patiently to begin a duel.

"How dare you call me that name? I am Lord Voldemort!" screeched Voldemort. Harry grinned as he threw his cloak aside, preparing for the duel.

"Didn't you know that it is childish to come up with names like these for yourself?" asked Harry coolly, grinning broadly but his eyes portrayed guilt and anticipation. Voldemort looked at Harry for a minute before his red eyes widened for a bit and he grinned maniacally.

"POTTER, you are the only one stupid enough to dare defy me in my face. Now, it will be your end at the hands of the Heir of Slytherin," said Voldemort gleefully. People gasped at hearing the name of their hero, who was supposed to be dead in an explosion.

"Well then, Tommy boy. We have an unfinished duel from the graveyard, lets finish it, shall we?" said Harry with a grin, his features returning back to the raven hair and green eyes. Voldemort tried to use the same trick he used at the graveyard to make him bow, but Harry waved his wand, canceling the spell.

"It won't work this time, Tom. We bow, and then we duel," said Harry bowing slightly, never taking his eyes of Voldemort. Most people surrounding them were confused as to why the most Powerful Dark Lord was following the rules of a duel when he never did with anyone else. It was only one person who realized why Voldemort was following rules for a duel with a person who was supposed to be a kid.

'_He_ _marks him as a worthy opponent. Well at least he is not stupid,'_ thought the person.

* * *

Salazar Slytherin was walking around Diagon Alley in awe, looking everywhere and trying to take everything in at once. The existence of such a place, when the only thing in this place at his time was a workshop of a wand maker called Ollivander, fascinated him. He looked on with astonishment at the bookshop, the Quidditch shop and different other shops that had not been available to him in the past. He was looking at one of the broomsticks in display at Quality Quidditch supplies, when an explosion rocked the whole street. Wizards wearing black cloaks and white masks were shooting curses at every innocent bystander they could find, killing and torturing everyone in their way. However, there was one wizard, whose repertoire of spells was very familiar to Salazar.

'_So, this is my dear heir. He is not very creative or stylish at that,'_ thought Salazar with amusement. He was about to fight his heir when a familiar voice yelled with power in his voice.

"RIDDLE!"

Salazar was proved right in his guess when his so called heir replied what he needed to hear.

"POTTER!"

Salazar watched as Voldemort and Harry bowed to each other but knew from what Harry told him that Voldemort respects no rules of dueling.

'_He_ _marks him as a worthy opponent. Well at least he is not stupid,'_ thought Salazar. The other Death Eaters were prepared to join the fight with their master when Salazar decided to help his brother. He smirked and waved his wand at a nearby Death Eater who collapsed and clutched his heart, screaming with agony.

Meanwhile, Harry was unaware of anything happening around himself and Voldemort. If he did, he'd have seen a lone figure tossing Death Eaters around like rag dolls. "Let's begin, Tom."

Voldemort's expression turned to rage as he raised his wand and hissed angrily, "_Avada Kedavra," _signaling the beginning of the duel. Harry waved his wand and a nearby bin flew to the air, intercepting the curse and blew up into a thousand pieces.

"_Navitas Exertus,"_bellowed Harry and slashed his wand upwards. A ball of energy arced towards Voldemort who waved his wand around him, creating a silver shield. The ball fought bravely against the shield but with a resonating 'pop', it disappeared.

"_Diripio_," whispered Voldemort, waving his wand in a semi circle. A sick yellow beam exploded from the tip of his wand, heading towards Harry with great velocity.

"_Serpensortia_," muttered Harry. A green and silver snake met the curse head on, tearing it to shreds in a shower of blood. '_It's not a real snake,'_ thought Harry frantically before brandishing his wand like a whip. A long thin tongue of flame escaped the tip, wrapping itself around Voldemort and his shield. It was the same spell Dumbledore had used in the Department of mysteries when fighting Voldemort.

The Dark Lord concentrated and muttered the counter curse as the rope of flame struggled to break his shield and then vanished without a trace. He Disapparated and reappeared a few feet away, sending the killing curse at Harry who dodged skillfully.

"_Itero Orbis_," muttered Harry, waving his wand in a circular fashion then slashing his wand upwards. Three iron balls arced towards Voldemort who sent a wall of flame towards the balls but every time they were hit, they multiplied. Voldemort's frustration grew with every multiplication.

"_Comburo Flamma_," Voldemort muttered in rage. The orbs stopped at a wall of pure lava and fell to the ground, harmless and mangled.

"_Crucio._"

Harry waited until the Cruciatus was about to strike him and waved his wand at one of the garbled iron globes at Voldemort's feet. It rose and hit Voldemort in the leg, breaking a bone, making him flinch and loose concentration. The red beam of light just dissipated inches from Harry's heart and Voldemort waved his wand lazily at his leg, causing it to mend temporarily.

"I'm done with playing, Potter. _Contremisco_," yelled Voldemort in rage. The earth between the two opponents began to tremble violently and explode underneath Harry who jumped as the blow came directly beneath him.

Harry pointed his wand to the ground and shouted, "_Absorbeo_ _Iaculum,"_ while bringing his wand down diagonally. The tremor stopped as two spears appeared from the ground beside Harry, the power behind the spells made the people around him shiver. In a flash, the two spears flew towards Voldemort as they were released from Harry's grasp.

Voldemort's red slits of eyes widened a fraction at the feat of magic that Harry had just displayed. However, Voldemort was not a Dark Lord for nothing as he muttered an incantation with a sadistic twisted grin, which filled Harry with dread.

"_Voco Inferi_."

People who died at the hands of the Death Eaters began to shake horribly as a dark energy surrounded them. They stirred and sat up, a terrifying roar emitting from their mouths as they began to stand and attack those around them, but most of them headed for Harry. It wasn't that Harry was not capable of taking care of the Inferi, but doing so while battling a powerful Dark Lord was not in his league. He waved his wand and some began to catch fire, but he tried with all his might to keep his eyes on Voldemort.

"_Avada Kedavra_," roared Voldemort, taking the chance of Harry's distraction. Harry turned around, but not in time to dodge or summon anything to stop the killing curse from hitting its target. Two Inferi flew from their places and intercepted the killing curse, bursting to flames as they hit. Harry turned to see a hooded figure in green robes waving his wand at the Inferi and keeping them at bay.

"Alright there, brother?" asked a voice which Harry had missed every single day since his return. He couldn't believe it, he did not want to believe it lest it was some sick joke conjured by Voldemort. He stood up shakily and was face to face with his blood brother and could not help but grin.

"Never knew that you were the Gryffindor type, brother," said Harry, his wand in his hand. Salazar scowled and dodged as a beam flew from behind Harry towards him.

Harry and Salazar turned simultaneously towards the Dark Lord and produced the same non-verbal spell.

'_Viscus Letalis_,' cast both wizards silently, waving their wands in an identical jabbing motion. Twin black beams flew parallel to each other towards the Dark Lord who Apparated away from the organ decaying curses.

Voldemort was not a foolish wizard and knew when to run. "I don't know who you are," he hissed at Salazar, "but you will rue the day you ever stood between me and victory of Potter." Voldemort cast the Dark Mark high into the sky and Apparated away.

The remaining Death Eaters, seeing that their Master had apparated away, portkeyed out of the area just before the Aurors Apparated in. The Aurors began getting rid of the Inferi and with Salazar and Harry's help; it was accomplished in a few moments. Without specific guidance, they were mindless bodies. Harry grabbed Salazar's arm and Apparated both of them to his bedroom at Hogwarts.

"Where is Rowena, Sal? I thought she was coming with you," said Harry, hugging his blood brother tightly. Harry released him from the bear hug and took a seat in a chintz armchair while Salazar occupied the other. He was tired from the battle but had to speak to Salazar.

"Rowena and I were separated when we got here which I presume is a side effect of the spell. I appeared in a forest and made my way outside with the help of the resident snakes until I found two drunken wizards. I thought that I could ask about you or even find you in a populated area, so I raided their minds and apparated to Diagon Alley," explained Salazar softly. Harry paled and stood quickly, taking out his wand from its holster again. He paced the office with a slight limp but nevertheless was determined to find Rowena.

"You mean to tell me that Rowena is out there alone?" said Harry angrily.

"Artemis is with her," mumbled Salazar. He could feel Harry's glare penetrating the back of his head. He looked up and met the brilliant green gaze of Harry.

"And I'm supposed to rest assured now that I know she has her strange dog thing with her?" shouted Harry sarcastically. He knew he shouldn't be shouting at his dearly missed blood brother but Rowena was out there somewhere.

"She'll be alright, Harry. She's an extremely gifted witch. It's not my fault the damn spell went wrong," replied Salazar. Harry was about to open his mouth when a pop was heard in the room, making both wizards turn with their wands pointed at a small, green elf dressed in a strange array of shirts and socks.

"I is happy that Mister Harry Potter sir is alive," yelled Dobby gleefully, hugging Harry's knees. Harry patted the house-elf on the head awkwardly, much to Salazar's disgust.

"Did Dumbledore return, Dobby?" asked Harry the excited house-elf. Dobby instantly quieted down and his eyes grew wide.

"Why are you conversing with and _touching_ a _house elf_," hissed Salazar from the corner of his mouth. "Are you insane?" Harry frowned slightly but otherwise ignored him.

"Master, there is a battle on the grounds and Mistress Natasha is out there. There is also another mistress with a wolf fighting the Dark Wizards, sir," Dobby said quickly.

"Rowena," both Harry and Salazar yelled at the same time and Apparated onto the grounds. It seemed that the battle had ended as a figure in fancy purple robes emerged and pulled down her hood, revealing the beautiful visage of Rowena Ravenclaw whose eyes were shining with unshed tears, her loyal companion trotting in her wake.

"Harry?" she whispered unsteadily while shivering slightly.

"Row," said Harry, his voice hoarse. He was waiting for someone to wake him up from the both beautiful and terrible dream. Neither was sure who began the kissing, but they found themselves in another world of the passionate companionship of each other, two hearts reunited.

It was a gasp which brought the two back to the land of the living as they turned to see the stunned figure of Albus Dumbledore on one side of the couple, a betrayed looking Bella and Blaise on the other and Salazar, with a sly smirk plastered across his face, in the middle. It was Dumbledore who broke the silence.

"You have some explaining to do, Harry."


	12. TheBoyWhoReturned

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 12: The-Boy-Who-Returned**

**By Egyptian Flame**

**Edited by Master Slytherin**

"You have some explaining to do, Harry."

Harry and Rowena turned to the tired looking headmaster, who was peering at the two guests suspiciously, while Salazar stood with a sly smirk on his face. Harry looked from Bellatrix's face to Dumbledore's, before sighing and nodding his head.

"Let's go to your office and I'll explain everything Albus," said Harry. "It would also be wise to summon Ron and Hermione as they have a right to know from me before it's announced in the Daily Prophet tomorrow." Dumbledore nodded his head and waved his wand, announcing a summoned house-elf with a pop.

"Please let Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley know that their presence is required immediately Dobby," said Dumbledore kindly, making the elf disappear with happiness on his face and a look of disgust on Salazar's face, which was remedied with a smack on the head from Rowena. As the group proceeded to the Headmaster's office, the three united friends walked at the back talking quietly among them, protected by a privacy charm and a strange dog like creature trotting happily beside them.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you guys again, but how the hell did you get here?" asked Harry with a frown. Rowena smiled and Salazar smirked, before it was wiped from his face by Harry's glare.

"I told you why you couldn't come in the first place Salazar; you could have wiped out my future and endangered yourself. Moreover, by what William told me, both of you left a year after I did, so you couldn't have had time to have an heir, Salazar. So if you would please explain to me how the hell you are here and how my future is still in existence, I would be grateful," said Harry, his emotions apparent on his face. Salazar gulped and Rowena had an expressionless mask on, as though deciding not to take a part in this conversation.

"After you left, I thought about how to come after you without changing any part of your future and it was then that I received an owl from my so called family," said Salazar bitterly, a sour look on his face.

"What happened?" asked Harry eagerly as Salazar paused for a while.

"The letter was to inform me of having a nephew, and taunting me that their perfect son had given them a grandchild. I thought of only one way which would help me come to the future and continue the bloodline," continued Salazar softly. Harry's mind raced, but came up with no possible way so he waited until Salazar finished.

"Your dark lord is the heir of Thanatos Slytherin, my dear brother." Harry frown deepened but Salazar had no hint of a smile.

"It's not possible Salazar. His family tree says that you're his ancestor and they cannot be fooled," said Harry.

"When I heard that Thanatos would have a son, I went to the Slytherin family mansion where they were celebrating the news. With some help, I managed to trick my dear family into naming the child another name than what they had in mind," explained Salazar softly, wincing as Harry glared at him, finally understanding the situation.

"You had them name the child Salazar, didn't you?" he asked astutely.

Seeing Salazar's nod, Harry held an expressionless mask for a second before collapsing in peels of laughter. Salazar had expected Harry to be mad at him for doing what he did and expected shouting when Harry started to laugh hysterically.

Rowena raised an eyebrow but kept walking hand in hand with Harry, who was holding his stomach with his other arm as he laughed hard. A smack on the head brought Harry back to his senses, making him notice that they had arrived in front of the gargoyle and the others were staring at him strangely.

"That explains why William thought you were a Dark lord," said Harry thoughtfully.

If looks could kill, Rowena would have been buried six feet under from Bella's glare, as she saw both couples walking hand in hand.

'_How dare she steal Harry from me?' _thought Bella angrily, watching them linked hands jealously.

'_He told you that he had a girlfriend, and that she would be coming soon. You can't say she stole him when he was hers in the first place,' a_nother voice of reason echoed in her mind.

'_Shut up!_' screamed Bella mentally as they ascended the stairs to the Headmaster's office.

Blaise, on the other hand, was watching the pair with a calculating look. She was shocked at first when she saw the woman kiss Harry passionately and him returning the kiss with the same passion. Harry had become the most important person in her life since he had rescued her. Having no other family and seeing another person taking him away made her feel jealous. Although she let go of the hope of pursuing a relationship other than a platonic one, having someone take Harry's attention away made her feel afraid of being in a dream and waking up in Voldemort's cell.

The group entered the office and sat down, making themselves comfortable for a long talk which would leave them exhausted. Dumbledore summoned biscuits and tea from the kitchens, passing around to his guests, who were looking around the changed office.

Anyone inside the castle could feel the walls humming and vibrating much like when Harry had arrived. Dumbledore waved his wand, activating strong privacy wards around the office, along with security, and scanning spells to ensure no one would eavesdrop on the conversation. Harry broke the silence, sitting comfortably in his chair, sipping on his tea calmly.

"I will not say anything of my time travel trip to Ron and Hermione, Albus. It is not that I do not trust them with the secret, but it is crucial that Voldemort must never know of it. Their minds are not occluded and I would rather not take the chance," Harry said calmly, earning a nod from his headmaster and a confused expression from the others. They did not have to wait for long when Minerva McGonagall entered the office, followed by Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Ron was confused as to why he was summoned to the headmaster's office, where strange people sat talking to each other and to the headmaster. One of the strangers was extremely familiar to him but he couldn't place exactly who he was. On the other hand, Hermione's eyes widened when two familiar green eyes met her own along with shoulder length black hair and the familiar scar of her best friend.

"Harry?" whispered Hermione quietly, her heart beating hard in her chest. Harry nodded his head and gave her his familiar, heart-warming grin he always had on his face. She flew as a blur into Harry's stretched arms, hugging him tightly as tears poured down her face. Ron's confusion lasted for a second before a huge grin painted itself on his face and he hugged his best friend. The others watched with a smile as the golden trio were reunited, though one of them being much older than he was.

"Where were you, Harry? Where have you been? Why didn't you owl us? Why do you look older?" asked Hermione rapidly, earning a smile from Harry and loud laugh from Salazar, leaving the others confused.

"That sounds familiar," said Harry to his blood brother, earning another laugh from Salazar and a blush from Rowena.

"That's mean," muttered Rowena, her blush lighting up her beautiful face. Harry put his arms around Rowena and kissed her lightly on the lips, almost sensing Bella's magic flaring inside her body as he pulled back.

"If you please, Harry, I think everyone would like to know what had happened to you and why you look older," said Dumbledore, clearing his throat. Harry nodded his head and started on the tale that he made up with Dumbledore's help for his young best friends' sake.

"A scientist named Robert had moved into my neighborhood when I got home from the train station. I met him in the park near the Dursley's residence and we talked for a while, and he invited me to his home to show me some experiments that he was working on.

He was showing me some stuff when Voldemort was gracious enough to send me pain through our connection. The result was my magic going unstable and a little bit of accidental magic caused an explosion, resulting in the death of Robert and me having an injury," said Harry, a pained expression on his face. Although his tale was not completely true, he still felt guilty since his aura was what had caused the explosion of the time machine.

Rowena hugged him soothingly as Salazar patted his back softly. The jealous glares this time were not from Bella or Blaise, but from Ron and Hermione, thinking that Rowena and Salazar were taking their places.

"A secret group rescued me and nursed me back to health. They asked me if I wanted to join them and be trained to fight, and I accepted, knowing that it would help me with my fight with Voldemort," continued Harry, before being interrupted by Hermione.

"Professor Dumbledore told us the same thing, Harry. Why would you involve yourself in the fight against Voldemort? The headmaster is more than capable to defeat him," asked Hermione curiously. Harry bowed his head for a second before making up his mind and replying.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…" _recited Harry softly. "This is part of the prophecy that was smashed in the Department of Mysteries, which dictates that I am the only one who has the power to Defeat Voldemort. I cannot tell you the rest of it since you are not trained in Occlumency." Twin scowls appeared on Ron and Hermione's faces but they didn't say anything, knowing that their best friend was right.

"You were training to defeat Voldemort?" asked Ron dumbly, not believing what he heard.

"I will fight with you to the end, Harry," replied Ron firmly. Salazar snorted in reply, earning a glare from Ron.

"You think I'm weak?" growled Ron threateningly, taking out his wand. Dumbledore was about to interfere when Harry stopped him with a hand, watching the interaction with interest.

"You are still a boy, not even a match for your peers, let alone a mage with powers you could only dream about. You wouldn't last a second against one of his servants," replied Salazar, sneering at the red head in front of him. Ron growled in anger as he was starting a curse before he was disarmed with a wave of Salazar's hand, his wand still in its holster.

All the others except Dumbledore, Harry, and Rowena who were capable of little wandless magic were stunned at the display of power in front of them. Ron got angrier, and was about to attack with his fist when powerful voice echoed through the room.

"Enough! Both of you! Control yourselves. Ron, he's right about one thing, you're not trained to fight Death Eaters but you're not weak. Your magic is still maturing and you have a lot of time before reaching your full potential," said Harry, making both of them stop their actions.

"But Hermione and I trained with some Order members this summer after you disappeared. We were with you in the ministry battle," protested Ron angrily.

"Ron, the ministry battle was a fluke and we were injured. Although Luna and I took down one Death Eater or two by sheer luck, that doesn't mean we were capable of defeating them. I would've died that night had Professor Dumbledore not shown up and protected me from the killing curse.

I've trained to fight Voldemort because it's my destiny and I was forced to grow up and be a force against him. You have the luxury of staying at home with your family instead of seeing every one of them die beside you," yelled Harry. Ron had a defeated expression on his face while Salazar sat smirking. The smirk vanished when Harry turned his glare on him.

"And you! You're supposed to be an adult and just because you are my friend and that you are powerful does not give you the right to act or behave that way," finished Harry coolly. Salazar had the decency to look ashamed and apologized, though through gritted teeth, to Ron. Dumbledore and Rowena sat with a small smile playing at their lips at the way both men were being scolded like children.

'_God bless you Lily, he inherited your temper,' _thought Dumbledore fondly.

Rowena was grinning since Harry was the only one who was capable of winning any argument with Salazar and keeping him in place. He had pranked and annoyed her in the past when Harry would be doing something else but always managed to keep Salazar Slytherin from being more annoying. Both of them were alike in many things, one of them that both were a free soul.

"Now I will continue the rest of my story and I want no interruption," said Harry, looking pointedly at Salazar and Ron. "I trained with the group, learning everything I can from them with a help of a device, similar to a time turner. The difference is that I aged when used this device. I had owled the Headmaster and told him of the situation and he advised me to keep hiding and keep Voldemort thinking I am dead.

I trained until I learned everything I can and I came here in a disguise, waiting for the right moment to reveal myself and it came today a few hours ago," completed Harry.

Although he felt bad about lying to his best friends, it was for their sake. McGonagall knew that Harry was lying about his tale but sat in silence, knowing that Dumbledore will tell her the real story when he is capable of doing so.

Ron and Hermione sat in silence, thinking about what Harry told them. Hermione was deep in thought when something clicked in her mind, completing up her puzzle about her professor.

"You were Simon Dumbledore," stated Hermione in realization. Harry clapped his hands together with a smile and replied, "You really are the smartest witch in the school Hermione."

Salazar turned to Rowena and muttered softly, "If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was your child." Rowena blushed and smacked Salazar's arm, sending him a death glare. Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing, though anyone could see a grin threatening to escape.

"I believe Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger have a Herbology lesson. Don't worry, Harry will not go anywhere since he has a job now," said Dumbledore, smiling at the groaning young man in front of him. Ron and Hermione knew a dismissal when they hear one.

They hugged Harry and left after he promised to meet them after their lessons, not realizing that they did not know the names of the two people with Harry. McGonagall was about to leave when Harry called her to come inside.

"You do not have to leave, Professor. I trust you," said Harry softly, earning a rare smile from the old witch as she sat down.

"It is good to see you again, Harry. How you managed to deceive me, I may never understand," McGonagall said with a smile.

Harry erected another ward to keep out listening devices like the extendable ears and turned to the group of people around him. He told him the same story that he told the Headmaster before, stopping when he was asked about the time he had landed in.

"I had told you that it was not the time to know where I landed, Headmaster, but I feel that now is the perfect time to tell you what had happened and who my friends are. Sal, Row, these people are Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Transfigurations Professor Minerva McGonagall, my apprentice Blaise and my friend Bella. Professor, Headmaster, the beautiful woman beside me is my girlfriend, Rowena Ravenclaw and the other person is my blood brother Salazar Slytherin."

Dumbledore had his hand on his wand while McGonagall stood in shock. Bellatrix was hissing angrily and Blaise kept opening and closing her mouth in an excellent fish impersonation.

"But that would make you…"

"You landed one thousand…"

"Your girlfriend is the most intelligent and powerful witch in…"

A bang echoed from Harry's wand, bringing everyone out of his or her shock. Dumbledore looked from Harry to Salazar and back with suspicious glances. Bellatrix was caught between being jealous of Rowena and in awe of two of the founder's presence. The silence was broken by a voice that they only heard once and rarely twice a year.

"Master Salazar, Mistress Rowena, welcome to the present and to your home," said William, the sorting hat, politely. It confirmed what Harry was saying though Dumbledore had yet to pocket his wand.

"Albus, you can rest assured that he is not and will never be a Dark wizard," said Harry calmly. Fawkes decided to make an appearance and settled on Harry's shoulder, making the young mage pet him on the head. It was then that Dumbledore relaxed his hand, which Harry unfortunately noticed.

"You thought I was also a dark wizard?" said Harry angrily.

Dumbledore sighed and replied softly, "I'm sorry, Harry. When you said you were blood brothers, a nagging suspicion entered my mind. Salazar Slytherin's blood brother was mentioned in history as the Black Prince, the darkest magic user apart from Slytherin himself.

It was said that he created a dark and powerful branch of magic that only he and Salazar Slytherin could wield. I know that history is some times not accurate but sometimes it is. Again, I apologize profusely for having doubted you, my boy. I also apologize for my behavior Lord Slytherin, Lady Ravenclaw; it is a pleasure to meet you." Dumbledore bowed his head respectfully and kissed Rowena's offered his hand.

"The pleasure is ours Headmaster Dumbledore. We are sorry to have frightened you or your staff," said Salazar politely as he shook hands with Dumbledore.

"I was called the Black Prince by the people I defeated when traveling with Salazar or competing in dueling tournaments. Black for being able to use my Animagus type of magic to an extent and it was Hogwarts who called me her prince and thus everybody else. I helped build Hogwarts and denied being called her founder since I did not want to change the history so Hogwarts herself called me her Black Prince," explained Harry.

'_Nice lie Harry, really smooth. Why would I think that it was because you slept with an Elvin princess before you met Rowena and that she declared you her prince?' _teased Salazar through their mind link.

'_If you even mutter one word about that incident, Salazar, you will really wish you were eaten by that pet basilisk of yours. I will also tell Rowena that you were the one who spelled her clothes to speak insults or her books to run away,' _Harry replied.

He shuddered when he remembered the night that he and Salazar got drunk celebrating a tournament they had won. Harry had slept with an elf woman and thankfully had a half mind to cast a spell to prevent her from getting pregnant. The woman had proclaimed him the prince of her city, before Harry and Salazar fled before they were killed or forced into marriage.

"You helped in building Hogwarts?" asked McGonagall, her jaw slack for the second time in minutes.

"So that is how you knew about the wards," stated Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"Yes it was my favourite branch of magic," said Harry fondly.

"You wrote a book on wards that I'm proud to say is one of the best books I have ever read, Harry," said Dumbledore, looking proudly at his favourite student. Harry looked confused, as he hid his books in his own secret chamber. Dumbledore stood up from his place behind the desk and grabbed an old book from the shelf. Harry recognized the book that was missing from his room before he left, and never had the chance to find it.

_Wards of the Ancients _

_By_

_The Black Prince_

"Where did you find that book? I've looked around for it but I have never found it," exclaimed Harry. Dumbledore chuckled and replied with an enormous grin, eyes twinkling brightly.

"I found it in my first year as a teacher here at Hogwarts, underneath one of the stands of the Quidditch pitch, Harry, in the sand. I am amazed that the preservation charms on the book lasted for one thousand years and that no one had ever seen it there," said Dumbledore as Harry blushed, remembering that he used to fly there a lot.

"That is because the five of us had cast the spell on the books, knowing that I would be having them back when I return to the future," replied Harry.

"Books? You mean you wrote more than just this book?" said Dumbledore in awe and excitement. It was still strange that his student was the one who wrote and created the ancient charms in the book but it was like a treasure to Dumbledore as they were extremely valuable and 'Wards' were his favourite branch.

"Harry wrote 32 books on different subjects, twenty of them on wards," said Rowena proudly, smiling as Harry groaned. Dumbledore's eyes lit up as he heard what the Ravenclaw founder had said and vowed to borrow them from Harry as soon as possible.

Rowena was the one who nagged him until he wrote everything he could write into books, though Harry left out some dangerous magic branches, preferring to keep them for himself or pass them to an apprentice who would not use them in bad ways.

"What else did you write about, Harry?" asked Blaise excitedly. Harry smiled at her warmly.

"Five on Defense against the Dark Arts, three on Runes, three on Charms and one on Animagus transformation," said Harry shrugging innocently. McGonagall's eyes lit up like Dumbledore's and Harry groaned, earning a snicker from Salazar and a smile from Rowena.

"I did not know that you are interested in the Transfiguration branch to write a book, Harry," said McGonagall. "You certainly had the talent to ignore what I was saying in class." Harry blushed under his ex-professor's gaze and it deepened when Salazar added smirking, "He mastered Transfiguration."

'_You are evil,' _sent Harry through their mental link.

'_You flatter me, dear brother,' _sent Salazar back.

"You mastered Transfiguration? That is wonderful Harry, we should talk sometimes, I would like to see that for myself," said McGonagall with a smile. It gave her a sense of satisfaction and pride that it was one of her students, who achieved a degree of a Master in Transfiguration.

"I think that they are tired after a long journey and rest. Minerva please escort young Bella to her dorm," said Dumbledore kindly. Bellatrix sent him a look that was translated 'We need to talk' and Harry nodded.

"Harry, before you go, I have some bad news for you," said Dumbledore. Harry frowned, waiting for the headmaster to clarify.

"Princess Natasha was found dead in the battle at Hogwarts. She was in the forbidden forest, gathering some ingredients when they killed her," continued Dumbledore. Harry got a pained expression as he heard the news and fury began to build up.

'_I am going to rip you apart Voldemort, if it is the last thing I do."_

"Also the Weasleys are going into hiding with the Fidelius charm, which I'm going to perform tomorrow. In the light of this news I am advising you to send your daughter with them for a while, until you destroy Voldemort once and for all." Apparently, Dumbledore realized that it was the wrong thing to say, as Rowena's expression turned murderous.

"WHAT DAUGHTER?"

Even Salazar was angry before Harry sent him memories of what happened through their link. Rowena started throwing hexes as tears poured down her face, her eyes gleaming with fury, hurt, and pain.

"Rowena, please let me explain," yelled Harry as he dodged a painful curse. After five minutes of straight cursing and dodging, Dumbledore managed to disarm Rowena, who fell to the floor crying and shaking.

"Why, Harry, why? Why do this to me?"

"She is not my daughter, Rowena," said Harry softly, hugging his girlfriend. Rowena was about to reply nastily when she understood what Harry said to her.

"What…What?" asked Rowena confused.

"A friend of mine died, leaving his only daughter in my hands. Alas, I am very old to care for a child, so Harry agreed to be her guardian, since I trust him with my life. Although I could have had anyone of my close friends take care of young Heather, Harry had been a great father until now," explained Dumbledore softly, giving the blushing Harry a look of pride. Rowena's murderous look transfigured swiftly into one of grave embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, love," said Rowena softly, looking at the ground. Harry lifted her chin until they were staring deep into each other's eyes. He pulled back her hair and kissed her deeply.

"It's alright baby," replied Harry softly after they broke contact.

"It would be a wise idea to send Heather with the Weasley's into hiding, it would be easier for me to visit her without endangering her or the Weasleys," replied Harry softly, hating the idea of sending his little girl away. He knew the Weasleys could take care of her much better than she could though.

"Sleep, Harry. You did very well and I'm proud of you."


	13. Unrequited Love

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**AN: Warning! There is some graphic violence in this chapter and eventually, future chapters. For those who have nervous disposition, skip that part. **

**Chapter 13: Unrequited Love **

**By Egyptian Flame**

'_The beautiful woman beside me is my girlfriend, Rowena Ravenclaw…'_

This echoed repeatedly through Bellatrix's mind as she walked back to her dorm, fuming and longing to curse anything in front of her. Jealousy filled her as she remembered Rowena kissing Harry passionately and his eager response, something she had experienced for only moments before Harry declared his love for his so called mysterious girlfriend, the same girlfriend who currently lay in Harry's arms.

'_Why did she have to come and steal my Harry away? Famous witch or not, I hate her, that man stealing bitch!'_ thought Bellatrix as hot, angry tears rolled down her cheeks. She arrived at the Ravenclaw common room and realized irritably that she had been resorted into the house of Harry's famous girlfriend. It was all too much on Bella as she cried herself to sleep cursing everything to do with that _perfect_ founder.

* * *

Blaise sat in her quarters, thinking about her eventful day which had ended with meeting two of the most famous people in the history of magic. She was in awe that Harry's mysterious girlfriend which had turned out to be Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the most famous witches in history, and that Salazar Slytherin, her house founder, was his blood brother. She knew that she made the right choice by accepting to be his apprentice and the right choice when she accepted him as family. 

She was also aware of Bellatrix's strong feelings for Harry and could almost feel the jealousy pouring out of her.

'Poor Bella' was her last thought as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

The three founders and the Headmaster of Hogwarts sat in Harry's quarters the next morning, talking and having an early breakfast as the Daily Prophet lay on kitchen table where they sat, big bold words shinning brightly. 

**The Boy Who Lived Lives!**

**Dark Lord Defeated in Duel with Harry Potter **

_By Special Reporter Kayla Frost._

_In an effort to drive fear into the wizarding world, the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley yesterday with a large force consisting of Death Eaters and rumors that Inferi also accompanied them. Fortunately, two Wizards rose up to the challenge and held back the Death Eaters and He Who Must Not Be Named. One of the two wizards was Simon Dumbledore, who was found out to be Harry Potter in disguise. The other cloaked wizard vanished without a trace and none of the eye-witnesses could identify him. This reporter thanks Harry Potter and the mysterious cloaked wizard on behalf of the wizarding world, keeping the Dark Lord and his servants at bay. _

Another small headline lay in the shadow of the first with a picture of Dumbledore with his wand held high..

**Attack on Azkaban Prison subdued by Hogwarts Headmaster!**

_Another attack took place at the same time on the Island of Azkaban prison, where Albus Dumbledore and some Aurors managed to defeat and capture some Death Eaters. In an interrogation by Veritaserum, one of the prisoners admitted the plan to take hold of Azkaban as a Headquarters of the Dark Lord and names of other Death Eaters. A team of Curse breakers and Warders were called to fortify the prison against future attacks.

* * *

Harry and Dumbledore took part in filling Salazar and Rowena about Tom Riddle's history and his use of Horcruxes to preserve his soul. They also discussed the school with Dumbledore, arguing and asking about everything that changed in their beloved school during the thousand years. They were proud that Hogwarts stood tall all these years even though they already knew from Harry that it still existed. _

"It is good to have you here, Salazar and Rowena, but I am afraid I must go for I have business to attend. I also have to prepare a funeral for the late princess Natasha and search for another Potions Master," said Dumbledore politely as he stood up, smiling kindly at his guests.

"Salazar is a Potions Master, Albus, and a lot more tolerable teacher than Severus was," Harry pointed out, grinning at his blood brother. Salazar groaned and glared pointedly at Harry as Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Mr. Slytherin, it would be an honor if you would teach Potions. Harry will continue to teach Defense against the Dark Arts, so both of you will be here together, and no one will question your presence," said Dumbledore, blue eyes twinkling from behind his half moon glasses and a smile on his face.

"Come on, Sal, it will be fun to teach again," said Rowena reassuringly. Salazar rolled his eyes but nodded briefly, causing smiles to appear on the faces of Harry and Rowena.

"Excellent. Do you need the house-elves to prepare rooms for you?" asked Albus kindly. Rowena shook her head, smiling softly as she remembered storming into Harry's tent in the past, demanding that they create secret chambers after Godric and Helga forgot the silencing charms. A look of sadness flashed through her eyes as she remembered her other best friends, wondering how they fared with operating the school alone.

"We have our own chambers, Albus, and they are supplied with everything we need," Harry answered mysteriously. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as Harry mentioned secret chambers but said nothing.

"I'm afraid that your names are too well known for you to use them, at least not until Tom Riddle is defeated. Tom is a cunning wizard and would use anything he gets his hands on against us," said Dumbledore. Harry nodded his head in agreement as Rowena and Salazar sat thinking about names.

"Technically, Salazar's name should be Salazar Thanatos Potter Slytherin since he's my blood brother," said Harry, "but everyone in the wizarding world knows that I'm the last living Potter, so I can't give Salazar or Rowena my last name."

"I know of a line that died out just over a hundred years ago," asked Dumbledore, looking at Rowena and Salazar. "It is the line of Morgan, an ancient pureblood line that died out when its last living heir was killed by a werewolf. No one would be suspicious since there is no living Morgan or a relative of them to claim the title of the family. Your first names are not a problem, since many pureblood families name their children Rowena and the Morgan family almost worshipped the famous Salazar Slytherin, the founder of Slytherin house."

Both Founders nodded their agreement and Dumbledore wrote a contract for Salazar as a Potions professor at Hogwarts. Salazar sneered at signing a contract and being paid to teach in _his _own school but a glance from Harry told him not to comment about it.

"Very well, then. May I inquire about the rooms you will be staying in so that I could reach you when I need to do so?" asked Dumbledore politely, earning himself a smirk from the three founders in front of him.

"There are reasons why it is called secret chambers, Headmaster," said Salazar with a smirk. "I believe you know where mine is, since my brother here killed my pet basilisk in it."

"Why, if I may, did you put a basilisk in your chamber, Salazar?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"I put it there for the protection, in case any Evil wizard tries to destroy Hogwarts. That is why it could move through pipes, since they lead to outside the castle," explained Salazar, "but since Tom Riddle was brilliant enough to know about Horcruxes at the age of sixteen, he was also able to control my pet,"

"I see. Very well then, I do not want to keep you here any longer," said Dumbledore kindly, as took out some papers from a drawer in his desk and presented them to Salazar.

"What are these?" asked Salazar suspiciously.

"These are the lesson plans that Severus worked on before he regretfully passed away. You are, of course, welcome to change anything you want and add anything, provided that they're not illegal or harmful," replied Dumbledore, eyeing Salazar curiously. Salazar smirked and replied, almost making Dumbledore regret hiring Salazar Slytherin for the job.

"Don't worry, I've taught dunderheads before," said Salazar smirking, "and lived with one."

He was only quick enough to shield himself from the hex erupted from Harry's wand. Rowena smirked at Salazar before kissing Harry's cheek and walking out the door gracefully as Harry attempted to re-hex Salazar.

"Aren't you going to help me, Rowena?" yelled Salazar at Rowena, while dodging Harry's pain hex. Rowena was at the door when she turned to face Salazar, a mischievous grin on her face and her eyes dancing with laughter.

"Help you, Salazar? I've been waiting for this day since Harry left and now that he is here, revenge is too sweet to pass up and this, Salazar is my revenge," replied Rowena, laughing as she walked out the door as Salazar had an look of terror on his face.

"Start running dear brother," said Harry grinning as Salazar fled out the door with Harry after him, leaving a laughing Headmaster behind sucking on his lemon drops.

* * *

Harry was sitting with Rowena, his head in her lap and her fingers running through his hair as she read a book about the history of the wizarding world and the events of the past thousand years Harry had opened his link to the fullest with Salazar, allowing him to view his past up until he time traveled. To say that Salazar was angry at Harry's treatment at the hands of the Dursleys would be an understatement. "But they're muggles," he had spluttered. "Why didn't you kill them? And you ask me why I think they're scum!" He had also gained Harry's knowledge of the modern age things, muggle and magical, which had helped him understand many things that he had witnessed on his journey to find Hogwarts. Harry sat deep in thought about every chapter of his life and wished that he had lived a more normal life, though he wouldn't trade his time in the past with anything. He was deep in thought but a pop broke the silence, announcing the arrival of a house-elf. 

"Master Harry Potter sir, Finzy was told to inform you that you is having a guest, Master Harry Potter sir," said Finzy the house-elf, bowing to Harry. Harry raised his head from Rowena's lap and went to his door, opening it slightly to find the ragged appearance of Remus Lupin outside his door.

"Hello Harry," said Remus softly, before his best friend's son engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug. Remus was in shock as Harry opened the door and he could have believed that it was James Potter, if it not for the brilliant emerald green eyes staring back at him.

"I missed you Remus," said Harry as he pulled back from the hug, beckoning Remus to enter. Rowena straightened up from where she was sitting on the couch as Remus' eyes roamed the quarters before settling on Rowena, his eyes widening further.

"I must have come at the wrong time, excuse me Harry," said Remus blushing before turning to leave. Harry grabbed his arm and shook his head, chuckling at the timidity of his old professor before waving his wand at the door, closing it.

"It is not a wrong time, Remus. This is my girlfriend Rowena," said Harry with a proud smile. Rowena offered her hand regally with a kind smile and Remus kissed it softly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rowena. I must say that you exceeded your father in his taste in beautiful women, Harry," teased Remus as Harry and Rowena blushed, before sitting down on the couch.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Lupin. Harry talked about you a lot," replied Rowena politely.

"Where have you been all this time, Harry? I thought…I thought you'd died," Remus said with stutter as his eyes showed relief.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I was away, training and it was hard to contact anyone. I also didn't have any news of the outside world, so I did not know I was presumed dead until I had returned," replied Harry apologetically. He knew he could trust Remus with anything and that werewolves already had a supernatural mental barriers, a side effect of the lycanthropy.

"It is a long story, Remus," said Harry. Remus settled himself comfortably on the chair he was sitting on, making Harry groan in return and nod, and beginning the tiresome story that was his life.

Three hours later, Remus sat dumbfounded as Harry finished retelling his tale. He resembled a gold fish as he tried to process everything that Harry told him, as it was an unbelievable tale. Remus was waiting for Harry to say 'Gotcha', but it never came. He also looked at Rowena in a new light as he realized that Harry's girlfriend was Rowena Ravenclaw, the most brilliant witch in the history of the magical world.

"You have to go the full mile don't you Harry? A founder, blood brother of Salazar Slytherin and boyfriend of Rowena Ravenclaw. I wouldn't have been surprised if Merlin himself was your father if I didn't know James personally and seen you at the hospital just after you were born. You were such a cute quiet little thing…" Remus reminisced fondly and Rowena listened intently to Harry's extreme discomfort.

"…and I remember the first time James attempted to change your pampers and just as he managed to peel them off, you urinated in his face. We were laughing for months afterwards. Prongs never did attempt to change it again…"

After a very uncomfortable an hour more of reminisces and embarrassment on Harry's part, Remus regretfully left for Order business to Rowena's dismay.

* * *

Bellatrix entered Harry's study as he sat preparing his next lesson. Every time she remembered Harry and Rowena kissing, her blood would boil and anger would course through her veins. He looked up from his work and invited her in with a kind smile that almost made her forget the reason of her visit. 

"Hey Bella," said Harry, smiling softly as he put down his quill.

"Hello," she replied coldly, making Harry frown.

"Please sit down and tell me what the matter is, Bella."

Bella sat down angrily, glaring at Harry pointedly. Harry's frown deepened at Bellatrix's attitude and summoned a house-elf, asking him for drinks. The house-elf returned with a bottle of fire whiskey and two glasses, and then disappeared to continue its work.

"Why are you upset, Bella?" asked Harry softly, sipping from his glass.

"Why am I upset? I am upset because you are fooling around with that man-stealing bitch. I am upset because you rejected me when I would have given you everything, for her. Why did you have to rescue me? I'd be fine if you'd just left me alone in the first place!" Bella had all but screamed, her voice breaking with every word.

"No you wouldn't," said Harry softly. "And I'm not fooling around with Rowena, Bellatrix. I love her with all my heart and I've been in love with her for six years and she would have been my wife, had I stayed in the past. You have to accept this."

"What does she have that I don't, Harry?" she fumed as she slammed her fists on the desk in frustration.

"I love her Bellatrix," replied Harry firmly. "Nothing can change that."

"I could have given you everything," hissed Bellatrix lividly as she stood up abruptly.

"That's impossible," was Harry's reply, "I already have everything." Bella shot him a cold glare before slamming the door, her robes billowing behind her.

* * *

In another dark and gloomy place, where no laughter or happiness ever entered sat a dark figure on a throne like chair. One would have called him royalty, a king perhaps, had it not been for the aura of darkness surrounding him or the large, bloodied man screaming and writhing in pain on the floor. This man was not an ordinary man in the circle of followers in the room, but a man who revived the most terrible and powerful beast ever to grace the wizarding world. They were in a chamber so dark and cold, that most brave men would cower in its shadow. The chamber was filled with men and women wearing black cloaks and white masks, all of them kneeling and watching their fellow servant being tortured. 

Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, screamed as a fresh wave of Cruciatus hit him, his silver hand pounding the floor repeatedly as his body writhed violently on the floor. The beam of light torturing Wormtail could be traced back to its caster, Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as the Lord Voldemort, descendant of the line of Slytherin.

"You pathetic rat," Voldemort hissed dangerously, his red eyes narrowed in anger and disgust as he stopped the Cruciatus for a second.

"M-master," stuttered Pettigrew, shivering and shaking violently from the effects of the Cruciatus.

"How dare you delay this information from me, scum," hissed Voldemort, applying the Cruciatus for another few seconds before lifting it again. He turned to his servants, eyeing them for about a minute before speaking again.

"My dear servants, we shall go on a small journey tonight and you shall feast as a reward from your Lord. Nott, gather the Dementors for they shall also have a feast tonight, a special feast."

Nott stepped quickly from his place and bowed in front of the Dark Lord, "At once, master. Where do I inform the Dementors to go?"

"Privet Drive, Surrey," was the reply, almost tasting the deaths that were to come.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore entered the great hall as the students were eating their breakfast, followed by Harry Potter, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Most students gaped when they saw their friend and fellow student looking much older in the newspaper that morning. However, seeing him in the flesh in front of them, made most of them sit in shock and awe as Harry Potter entered, with no glasses on his face almost hiding his brilliant emerald green eyes, which in turn made nearly all the girls in the hall swoon. He was wearing a dark red robe made of Acromantula silk, his hair smooth and reaching his shoulders. The robes did not hide the toned muscles formed from hard training with Salazar and months of practicing with heaving swords. 

Although Harry Potter had been the centre of attention all his life, he was not the only centre of attention in the room. Salazar walked with aristocratic grace and powerful presence, emitting an aura of intimidation and respect. People were awed at the striking resemblance between Harry and Salazar, though the radiance and beauty of another figure on Harry's arm totally outshined anything else.

Rowena Ravenclaw swept majestically into the great hall with Harry, wearing a blue robe and her hair falling smoothly down her shoulder, shinning brilliantly in the light of the candles in the great hall. The smile on her face lit up the great hall and the look of love directed at Harry was the reason of some of the glares sent by the students.

Dumbledore sat down on his chair as Harry and the other founders sat on the chairs beside him. Harry was welcomed warmly from Hagrid and rest of the teachers, though the some teachers and students sent suspicious looks towards Salazar and Rowena. The Headmaster stood up, smiling kindly at the students and cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the students.

"Good morning," said Dumbledore, as everyone quieted down. "It is with great sadness and regret that I inform you of the death of Professor Natasha, who died bravely fighting the servants of Lord Voldemort. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses to Natasha Romenenko." Benches scraped as all the students and teachers stood up, raising their glasses to the fallen potions professor. Many students had sad looks on their faces as they heard the news of their professor's death. Dumbledore waved a hand and the banners turned black, in mourning of the late professor.

Inside Harry's mind was a jumble of emotions filling his very being until he felt like he would suffocate. Guilt and self-loathing swelled in him, reminding him that it was his fault that these attacks had started in the first place.

'_Why did I have to expose his stupid history? These people died because of my stupidity' _Harry thought bitterly. Rowena caressed his cheek in understanding, knowing that Harry's self-inflicted guilt was hard to loose. Her touch brought Harry warmth and security, assuring him of her presence beside him. Anger was another emotion that filled him, as he cursed Voldemort for being who he was, cursed the Dark lord for targeting innocent people.

Salazar could feel the stress and extreme guilt through his connection to Harry, although he inwardly sneered at having to pay respect to a vampire, his most hated type of beings. He sent reassurance and acceptance through their bond to Harry, who nodded in gratitude for his brother. Even Hogwarts sent love and reassurance through her bond with Harry, sensing her master's distress.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore put down his goblet but didn't sit down, instead, continuing his speech.

"The funeral of Professor Natasha will be held tomorrow at 10 am. And you are all invited. Professor Natasha was a great colleague and friend and she was full of joy and life but alas, she passed to the next great adventure where I hope she will find happiness that she missed in this world. To Professor Natasha," said Dumbledore, raising his goblet one more time before setting it down.

"Classes will resume on Monday, in mourning of our dear departed professor. It is also my honor to introduce your new potions professor, who thankfully, offered his skills when he heard the death of our dear professor. Please welcome the Potion Master and your new Professor Morgan." The students clapped politely for Salazar, who stood regally and waved, earning him a grin from Rowena and a weak smile from Harry.

"Furthermore, it is with great pride that I welcome back one of Hogwarts' own children, who took his N.E.W.Ts and passed admirably, Professor Potter and Professor Morgan." The pride in Dumbledore's voice was apparent as he clapped for his surrogate grandson, which was echoed throughout the great hall. The loudest round of applause ever experienced by Harry greeted him and he flushed slightly. He saw Ron and Hermione clapping eagerly along with every other Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and most of Hufflepuffs who Harry had taught in the DA.

Some of the Slytherins were clapping, since they were not tightly controlled after Draco fled Hogwarts, but others remained blank faced and quietly sneered at the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry stood up bowed slightly, touched by the warm welcome of his previous peers and future students. Rowena blushed as several hoots and catcalls echoed through the hall to Harry's disgust.

* * *

Pops echoed through Privet Drive like gunfire as wizards wearing black robes and white masks appeared out of nowhere, making some of the neighbors look out of their windows or come out of their houses. One dark figure apparated alone in the middle of these wizards, appearing in a cloud of darkness reeking of evil. Voldemort turned to his followers who consisted of Death Eaters and Dementors and grinned evilly, his blood red eyes glinting maniacally. 

"My servants, feast on the Muggle filth but leave me Potter's relatives, for they shall get special treatment," said Voldemort as he took graceful steps towards a particular house, which had eluded him in the past. The wards on said house were almost non-existent due to the absence of Harry Potter's blood, the key ingredient when invoking such powerful wards. Screams and explosions began ringing in Voldemort's ears as his followers began enjoying their time with the neighbours of the Dursleys. Voldemort reached the house as Petunia Dursley was looking out the window for the reason of the screams and raised his wand.

"Explodra"

The door exploded inwards, the debris flying in every direction and the house shook violently from the spell. Vernon Dursley came running down the stairs from his bedroom as the explosion threw him on the floor, something that is quite hard considering his size. Dudley was hiding under the table or trying to, as he saw a snake like man enter his living room. Voldemort looked at Petunia in disgust and raised his wand again, pointing at her.

"Crucio"

Petunia's high-pitched screams seemed to have woken up Vernon from his state of shock, as his face turned purple and he lunged towards Voldemort. The Dark Lord sneered and waved his waved, sending the fat muggle flying into the wall. He turned back to Petunia again and hissed.

"Fundo tergum." Petunia's skin seemed to bubble softly then began to melt and her screams of agony which pierced the night seemed to Voldemort like music as he closed his eyes for second, smiling fanatically. Dudley, seeing his mother's skin being shed went into a static shock, his eyes turning blank at what the _creature_ had done to his mother.

Vernon Dursley came back to conscious and saw his wife being skinned alive and her screams filled him with rage as he took a knife and ran towards Voldemort, screaming at him.

"You filthy freak, you killed my wife." If Vernon had not screamed, he would have managed to injure Voldemort with the knife, as the Dark Lord was lost in the joy of Petunia's screaming. However, as Voldemort heard the muggle scream and his fury appeared in his ruby red eyes as he was called a freak.

"**Avada Kedavra." **

The familiar green beam exploded from Voldemort's wand, striking Vernon in the chest and sending him several feet back to the floor. He was dead before he hit the ground. Voldemort laughed maniacally in delight as Harry's Uncle gave his last breath in front of him and turned to look at the last remaining person in the house. Five minutes later, the Dursley's house blew up in flames with the exception of one wall, which had words written in blood etched on it.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Harry kissed Rowena heatedly as they lay in their well-decorated bed in Harry's quarters, relishing the warmth of being in each other's arms again after a long time. He started kissing Rowena's neck, earning him a moan in return. Harry was about to proceed further when a stone on the table started shrieking, tearing Harry's attention from his girlfriend, which was hard to do. He looked at Rowena apologetically, who nodded lovingly and whispered softly to him, "go."

Harry wore his battle robes and took his weapons, apparating silently to an abandoned classroom near the headmaster's office. He sped up the stairs and opened the door to find Dumbledore and several order members talking and arguing between themselves. Dumbledore noticed Harry and cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the order, who stopped what they were doing and paid attention to their leader.

"Everyone, Portkey to Privet Drive," said Dumbledore, activating his own Portkey. Harry and the other order members appeared in Privet Drive, or what was left of it.

Fire consumed everything, the smell of death lingered in the air like a poisonous fog, and all the individuals stared horrified at the massacre in front of them. Men, women, children and even pets were not spared the wrath of the Death Eaters. The Dementors seemed to have been satisfied as soulless bodies were scattered everywhere, staring blankly at the Dark Mark etched into the night sky. Not a house was spared the damage and not a soul could be found alive in the area.

Many witches and wizards ran in every direction but Harry Potter's eyes were set on a particular house, Number Four Privet Drive. He hoped that they were not at home when the attack happened. They mistreated him but he didn't want them _dead_. But fate didn't swing his way which he realized as he approached the house to find his uncle's body beside a skeleton that he assumed was his aunt. Dumbledore and the rest of the Order members followed him but some of them emptied their stomach upon seeing the message on the wall, which was written in blood.

**_Welcome back Mr. Potter, I missed you. This is just a welcome back party. So sorry you couldn't make it; it was a great show!_**

_**Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin. **_

Under the written message and hanging on the wall was Dudley's severed head with a snake sticking out of his mouth, a resemblance of the Dark Mark. Voldemort had left it for Harry as a welcome gift as well as the Dark Mark outside. Although he hated the Dursleys, Harry never would have wanted them to die like this, to meet this fate at the hands of the Dark Lord. A tear rolled down his cheek in mourning of his last remaining blood relatives as he looked around the remains of the house in which he had lived most of childhood.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to meet the sad blue eyes of his Headmaster, looking calmly back at him. Harry glanced at the other houses, some of which suffered the same fate as Number Four but their owners fell at the hands of the Dementors. Harry could feel the guilt and anger from earlier this morning rising in his chest, swelling with every thought about Voldemort. His fist became balls, trembling with fury and his nails began digging into his skin painfully but Harry didn't care. He knew he had provoked Voldemort more than once and that these people were killed because Voldemort was angry at his published history.

"It is not your fault," said Dumbledore soothingly. He could feel the guilt emanating from Harry and wearily patted his back.

"Like hell it's not. I've been gone for four months and Voldemort attacked them only when I got back, just to get back at me," Harry yelled angrily. "How do you explain the message on the wall?"

"Voldemort is a Dark lord, Harry. He made it his mission in life to destroy those he thought were beneath him, which includes everyone. This is war and more people are going to die. You did not start this war but it is partly up to you to end it and no war ends without people being killed. He would have killed them sooner or later but he chose to try and hurt you because he fears you and your power," said Dumbledore softly as he lead Harry to the return Portkey. Harry said nothing as he took the Portkey back to the castle, along with the order members, leaving the Aurors and ministry officials to clear up.

They arrived in the headmaster's office, each member horrified at the scenes, which met them at Privet Drive.

"Go to your quarters and think about what I said, Harry," said Dumbledore to Harry who nodded his head and walked back to his quarters, crying himself to sleep in Rowena's arms for the people who died in the massacre of Privet Drive.


	14. I Reclaim Thee

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 14: I reclaim Thee**

The rays of sunlight poured down everywhere, its warm rays penetrating the cracks of the ancient castle and its surrounding land. It was almost seven in the morning as two figures stood facing each other in the Quidditch pitch for a full minute, each waiting cautiously for the other to attack.

Suddenly, Harry and Blaise waved their wands at each other in a complicated wave, while their eyes never left their opponent. A thick orange beam of light erupted from Harry's wand and sped accurately towards Blaise who produced a vibrant blue shield, protecting her from the curse.

Blaise waved her wand rapidly at a tree branch nearby, changing it to a dog and sending a stunning spell at Harry. The spell was about to hit Harry and the dog was running in his direction at the same time hoping to distract Harry, when he slapped the spell with the tip of his wand and sent it flying into the dog, making it fly back a few feet and changing back as it landed.

Slashing the wand diagonally, a rope of fire flew from the tip and headed toward Blaise who stood patiently waiting for the rope to come near while beads of sweat formed on her forehead from concentration. Just as it was about to hit, Blaise slashed her wand downwards then jabbed it at the rope. A flock of firebirds flew back transfigured from the previous rope, making Harry's eyes widen and Apparate a distance behind Blaise.

"Hey! No apparating, that's not fair," said Blaise pouting, as she deflected the stunning curse headed her way, leaving Harry a second to banish the firebirds following him.

"Someone had been studying behind my back," said Harry grinning and dodging a slashing hex. Blaise smirked and sent stinging and blinding hexes towards Harry, who simply dispelled them as they hit his shield.

"**Cattus barba"**

The hex hit Blaise in the face, making her sprout cat whiskers. Getting angrier, Blaise responded with a beam of cutting hex flying towards Harry at a high speed and hit him on his ankle as he was dodging and resulting in a large gash. Seeing the blood pouring out of Harry's leg made her hesitate for a second where Harry sent her flying with a banishing charm from his place on the floor. He got up and healed his leg as Blaise recovered from being thrown ten feet in the air.

Blaise kept throwing hexes and curses while Harry changed his tactics to just stepping aside or dodging, while he concentrated hard, making Blaise step up the power of her spells confidently thinking she had him cornered. Suddenly she saw Harry stop and drop his wand hand to his side, smiling at her.

Seeing him just smiling as if mocking her, she took her chance and sent a high-powered stunning spell towards Harry who stood grinning as the spell hit him in the chest. A moment later, Harry flickered before disappearing and Blaise realized her mistake as a Petrificus Totalus hex hit her in the back. She looked up from her position to Harry who waved his wand, releasing her from the hex.

"You've improved, Blaise. Do you know what you did wrong?" said Harry helping her up. Blaise nodded her head and looked down, fearing to see the disappointment in Harry's eyes. Even though Harry had been nothing but wonderful and caring towards her, she feared that she would let him down or push him away from her.

"I powered up my spells at the wrong time, I focused on long incantation spells, and I let my guard down. I am sorry," Blaise said softly, returning her wand to her holster. She was about to look up into Harry's eyes as she heard nothing but silence, when she found his arms pulling her into an embrace, stroking her hair softly and kissing the top of her head.

"You don't need to apologize for anything, Blaise, and you do not need to fear my disappointment. I will never abandon you or push you away as I care about you. I know that your experience in Voldemort's dungeon was your worst nightmare and you will never forget it, but I need you to know that I will do everything in my power to make sure that Voldemort thinks twice about coming near you," said Harry soothingly, stroking her hair smoothly and softly.

A sense of warmth and security filled Blaise as she pulled back from the embrace and saw a smile on Harry's face that she couldn't help but return. Another girl came and waved at Blaise to come over, making Harry pat Blaise on the back and nudge her to go.

"Brilliant transfiguration by the way," said Harry and he was rewarded with a blush and brilliant smile from Blaise before she frowned slightly.

"You were holding back a lot, weren't you?" asked Blaise annoyed.

"Yes I was holding back because your training is still in the beginning and beating you within the minute would not help your self esteem and would extremely help my ego," said Harry with a grin. Blaise smirked and went to her friend and Harry smiled to her and waved until they disappeared from his view.

"You are such a sweetheart."

Two arms circled Harry from behind, kissing him on the cheek. Harry smiled and turned to kiss Rowena fully on the lips and grinning as he pulled back. He was mesmerized with Rowena's beautiful face, thanking the stars and wondering what he did to deserve such a great woman. His days in the past with Helga and Godric flashed quickly in front of his eyes, leaving him with a sad smile. How he missed his other best friends and the peace of living in the past.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, smiling sadly. "It was nothing, Rowena. I was just wondering what I did to deserve such a beautiful intelligent woman. I am really lucky to have you by my side Rowena." Rowena smiled beautifully before pecking him on the lips.

"It is I, who wonder what I did to deserve you, Harry. I love you," replied Rowena sweetly, before sinking in Harry's embrace in a deep kiss again. It was a dark figure standing in the shadows and shook with unadulterated pure rage and sadness upon witnessing this scene with a face filled with tears.

* * *

A few hours later, Harry could be found walking through the corridors of Hogwarts, stopping in front of an unused girl's bathroom, one that brought many memories. He could still remember the brewing of the Polyjuice potion and Hermione turning into a cat. It brought a smile to his face as he remembered their adventures.

'_Well, it is long gone now,'_ Harry thought, before hissing _'open'_. The entrance appeared and Harry strode forward and jumped in, sliding down the tunnel all the way down.

After hissing 'open' for the second door in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry found Salazar engrossed in modern scrolls and tomes of Draughts and modern ingredients, excitedly making his way through them. His blood brother's excitement upon learning of newly invented potions and newfound and discovered ingredients was overwhelming and he spent most of his time looking through formulas and directions of several potions.

"Salazar, I will be taking a trip to Gringotts in a few hours for a few unfinished business and also to discuss their role in this war if they ever have one," said Harry clearing his throat as he sat in front of his blood brother. Salazar looked up from the scrolls of modern potions in front of him and raised an eyebrow.

"I want you with me, Sal. I will also be claiming Hogwarts and I cannot do so without its co-owner as it seems one of Godric's descendants had decided to leave it in the 'capable' hands of the ministry until such time where an heir reclaims it. Moreover, I need your help as I am helpless with politics," explained Harry, giving his brother his lost puppy look.

"Fine, I will be ready when it is time to leave, just don't do that. It freaks me out," answered Salazar, rolling his eyes at his brother's antics before getting back to what he was doing. Harry left the room and went to search for Bellatrix and Blaise and to prepare for his trip to Gringotts.

* * *

Dumbledore summoned Harry as he was coming out of Myrtle's bathroom urgently to his office. Harry strode rapidly towards the headmaster's office, checking if he had everything in case of an emergency. He arrived at the gargoyle, which sprang aside upon recognizing its master and the stairs appeared in front of him.

"Enter."

The Headmaster's voice came as Harry knocked on the office door. He found Dumbledore sitting behind his mahogany desk, looking through some old looking papers and some letters that had the ministry seal on them.

"Ah, Harry, please have a seat," said Dumbledore smiling kindly. Harry sat down and waited for Dumbledore to begin the discussion. After a few minutes, Harry grew bored as Dumbledore silently skimmed through the letters giving no indication that Harry had arrived or was waiting for him to speak.

"What is urgent that you would send me a house-elf for, Albus?" asked Harry annoyed.

"Ah, I am sorry about that, my boy," said Dumbledore with a kind smile. "I wanted to discuss with you the upgrading of the castle wards."

"What about them, Headmaster?" replied Harry conversationally.

"As you know, the wards around the castle are extremely weak and needs to be properly recharged. And since I have no experience with some of the wards around the castle, there is no one better to recharge the wards than its founders."

"Voldemort will be suspicious, Albus. He will feel disturbance of magic if they were recharged and it will make him more set on finding out about it. We don't want to risk Salazar and Rowena being exposed so early," replied Harry tensely.

"The safety of the students is more important than Voldemort being suspicious, Harry. It is nothing that we can't handle and the wards will be powerful enough to stop him from attacking with an army. Only he and any former Hogwarts students will be able to pass the wards without being ejected, since they were former students here," said Dumbledore critically.

"I know how the wards work, Dumbledore, I created them. Voldemort's eyes are set on Hogwarts and if he finds that no army will be able to penetrate the wards after they are recharged, he will concentrate on other easier targets, mainly Diagon alley or the Ministry of Magic," said Harry angrily.

"It is worth knowing that these children are safe, Harry. The Ministry officials are more than capable of defending themselves and the ministry has capable Aurors who patrol Diagon Alley day and night to prevent such things," Dumbledore said softly.

"Most of the Aurors are weak, Albus. Voldemort knows that Hogwarts is the most powerful base of the light side and it is his main target beside me. Tom cannot take the Hogwarts wards down, as he will not be able to destroy the foundation stone so he will turn to killing other people do draw me out. You will be risking many people's lives if he finds another thing for him to occupy his time and you know as well as I do that without the Horcruxes being destroyed, killing Voldemort is beyond us. And even if he tries to attack here, Hogwarts has four of the most powerful wizards to ever grace its lands and Voldemort will have problems trying to attack here."

"These children are the future, Harry, and I will do everything in my power to provide them the safety they require. You do know that nearly every year Voldemort was able to enter Hogwarts and hurt its occupants one way or another. I do not wish to sacrifice others for the sake of keeping the children safe but the children's safety is my top priority and I'm pleading to you to keep what is left of their innocence, Harry," Dumbledore said pleadingly, his eyes showing weariness and old age.

"Very well, Albus. We will recharge them very soon but please warn Fudge of the consequences of what will happen so that he will be prepared and would be able to provide the essential precautions. I will be going to Diagon Alley in an hour, do you need anything else from me?" said Harry with a sigh of defeat.

"I thank you very much my boy, have a safe trip to Diagon alley, and be careful."

* * *

In the Gryffindor common room sat Ron and Hermione doing their homework or in Ron's case, coming up with new strategies for the team. McGonagall had chosen Ron as the team captain when everybody else either turned it down or left the team altogether and as Harry was a teacher, he would not be playing on the team anymore.

Both were stunned at the drastic change in their best friend and the amount of stress and the world's burden on his shoulder. It took a while and seeing Harry everyday for them to sink in that their best friend had grown up and felt as if he was leaving them behind and moving on. It was as if he was older than Dumbledore and fiercer than Voldemort and both of them cursed the fates for manipulating and using their best friend in such a fashion. They realized the he would be the new Merlin to the people and he would provide them with hope, a word that was lost to some when they thought their savior to be dead.

They had just finished their homework and in Ron's case team plans, when he turned to Hermione, kissed her softly on the lips, and moaned as she responded back eagerly with passion. Both of them had gotten together as they realized that they were all that is left of their trio and they only had each other, not excluding the fact that Ron had had a crush on Hermione since he saw her at the Yule ball, dressed beautifully. He had dated Lavender for two months before confessing to Hermione his love for her and breaking up with Lavender.

They sprang a part when they heard a student enter the common room and turned to see who it was, when they realized that they were at the end of the wands of Colin and Dennis Creevey. The last thing they heard was a stunning spell before their world turned black.

* * *

At another place, Salazar and Harry had appeared at the apparation point of Diagon Alley and walked confidently towards Gringotts. They were dressed in majestic robes, giving them the looks of royalty as they walked with graceful steps. They attracted the looks of most people in Diagon alley and even some seductive glances were thrown their way from pretty looking women. Salazar had a sneer at most people while Harry just ignored them altogether; hating the attention which he was constantly receiving. Salazar looked around on his way to Gringotts, having never had the chance to properly look at the place as the fight with Voldemort occurred.

They entered the bank and searched around for a goblin who was not involved in any business, until a man had finished his business with a goblin and left. They headed for said goblin, who Harry had recognized from his first visit to Gringotts with Hagrid. He had a sneer and a disgusted look on his face as he saw another human that he had to deal with.

"We request a meeting the elder goblin responsible for leading the goblin race, Mr. Griphook," Harry said politely in Gobbledygook, as he recalled what he learned from the goblin he and Salazar saved in the past. Griphook's disgusted look disappeared and was replaced with a shocked one upon hearing his own language being talked back at him from a non-goblin. The goblin stepped down from his high chair and faced Harry and Salazar with a sneer and a look of anger on his face after he recovered from the shock.

"Look human; you have no right to request a meeting from my direct boss, let alone our king. You either tell me what business you have here or you leave," growled the goblin back. Salazar's hand was about to go to his wand when Harry stopped him with a look but did not stop him from speaking.

"How dare you talk to us like some commoners, you stupid impudent disgusting creature," hissed Salazar back with a scowl, pointing a finger at the goblin in front of him, unknowingly uncovering his goblin gifted mark slightly for another important looking goblin coming their way to see what was going on. As the other goblin reached them, he was pale or as pale as a goblin could possibly be and asked with a tremble coursing through him.

"Do…Do you mind uncovering that mark again, sir?" asked the other goblin with a tremble. Griphook was about to protest when his boss threw him a 'shut up' look and looked back at Salazar and Harry. Salazar had his sneer as he uncovered the mark again and both blood brothers watched as the higher-ranking goblin bowed so low that Harry was shocked that his spine was still in one piece.

"My lords, please forgive us for our ignorance and accompany me to my office, where you shall be properly welcomed," said Griphook's boss, managing not to stutter as he directed the humans to his office, leaving a confused looking Griphook behind. They walked through a series of corridors before coming to a door, where the goblin invited them to enter. It was a well-designed office, which could tell that he was a high-ranking goblin in Gringotts and not another worker.

"Please sit down my lords and I shall inform my superiors of your arrival. I apologize again for our ignorance, my lords. By your leave," said the goblin shakily and disappeared as Harry nodded to him.

They looked at each other for a second before laughing hard. They stopped after a while and Harry turned to Salazar. "I didn't know that the mark was that important, as the goblins in the past never made a party out of it."

"That is because they never saw it, Harry," Salazar sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "They were treating us fairly because we contributed in the building of this bank and not because of our marks."

They did not have to wait long as the same goblin came back accompanied with several others dressed in strong armors and carrying spears. The goblins looked pointedly at the two wizards and then at their wrists before they snapped back to reality.

"If you would follow me, our king requests your audience," the leader of the guards said with a sneer before walking out the door with Salazar and Harry following him. They walked in a corridor filled with portraits of several goblins and pictures of several places. They came upon a portrait that shocked Harry as it was a portrait of the goblin that they helped in the past when the wizards tortured him. One of the goblins saw the wizards watching the portrait with shock and decided to enlighten them.

"That is Lord Silverhook the third, one of the most important and respected Goblin seers in the history of our race," said the goblin to Harry and Salazar, who tried very hard to hide their shock. One of the goblins said a password and the Goblin in the portrait nodded and opened to reveal a door, but not before nodding with a smirk on his face to Salazar and Harry as they entered. The room they entered was bare with the exception of two golden keys set on a table.

"Please touch the Portkey, the king waits. This will take you to our home," said a goblin, presenting the Portkey to Harry and Salazar, who touched the key and disappeared with other goblins taking the other Portkey.

They appeared in a dark forest in front of a large cave. It was very dark forest that not a ray of sunlight penetrated anywhere, leaving the place midnight dark. The goblin motioned for Harry and Salazar to follow and they went inside the cave to a cart similar to the one in Gringotts. The ride was a short one as they passed through a series of tunnels before coming in front of a magnificent beautiful palace made of white marble and surrounded by a beautiful garden.

The palace had many goblins protecting it and they looked fiercer than Harry has ever seen and looked ready to kill anyone who passed uninvited. Some of the goblins carried bows and arrows and others carried swords and lances, an eager expression on their faces as if begging Harry and Salazar to make a wrong move so they have some action.

They entered the palace, looking everywhere in a well-disguised awe as they observed the magnificently decorated place around them. Up until few hours ago, Harry had thought that the leader of the goblins was one of the Gringotts elders or something, never realizing that they were a kingdom in their own right.

They entered what would be a guest room and sat down as two goblins asked them to wait. Meanwhile, they were offered some coffee until the king was ready to meet them. Harry took a sip from the coffee, his eyes immediately began to water, and his tongue was as if it was on fire. Salazar put down his coffee as he watched his blood brother choke on his own, smirking at Harry as he looked back at him with a murderous glare.

"You find this amusing, Slytherin?"

"Indeed, I find it amusing that you would be stupid enough to drink Goblin's coffee," said Salazar smirking, as Harry kept breathing hard from the coffee. "There is a reason why it is called 'Goblin coffee', Potter. It is for goblins, not humans." Harry's retort was cut short as a goblin entered the room. He looked from the cup to Harry and smirked before turning back to the two humans.

"The king is ready to see you."

Both wizards stood up, followed the goblin out of the room, and walked through a corridor that had a huge door at the end of it. The door was made of pure gold and had a series of runes on it and a large banner similar to the one in Gringotts and two guards stood on either side of it, glaring at Harry and Salazar, and keeping their lances in check.

The door opened and both wizards were escorted into what would be a throne room, beautifully decorated with white marble and chairs made of silver. The chairs were full of old looking goblins, but at the end of these goblins sat a goblin on a high throne made of pure gold, embedded with rubies and emeralds. The throne room was elegantly designed and was full of symbols, runes and writings on the floor and ceiling which Harry assumed where runes of protection.

After looking around the room quickly in awe, Harry and Salazar approached the goblin king gracefully and bowed respectfully, careful not to make any wrong move that might be mistaken for hostile. The Goblin king was an old looking goblin, with a wise look in his eyes if someone was to look upon them.

Unlike the other goblins and the guards who escorted them, the goblin king had no disgusted sneer or a glare but a proud and respectful glance. He knew the wizards in front of him and respected their achievements and the power they held. It was rare for a goblin to perceive such deduction upon a glance, and the king knew the tales of both wizards and how the greatest and most powerful seer in their history, Silverhook the third, had bestowed the mark of honor upon them and about their contribution in the existence of Gringotts.

"Welcome to my palace, noble lords. I am King Demnar of the Goblins and I have heard a lot about you. It is fortunate that I get the opportunity of meeting the only couple of wizards to receive an honor from the great Silverhook. Please have a seat and allow me to introduce you to my council and advisors," said the Goblin king, waving his hands towards the other goblins sitting in the room.

After a while full of introduction and strange goblin names, Harry and Salazar sat down on a couple of chairs to begin the conversation about what they really came for. First, they had begun to tell their tale about meeting with the goblin and the mark and gifts he bestowed upon them. Some council goblins had a sneer upon hearing that the ones who tortured their great seer were two wizards. However, king Demnar nodded gratefully for hearing the tale and with the help of some memory projection spell, they saw the memory of what had happened with the goblin and most of them sat in awe at seeing one of their history figures. Finally, it was time to discuss the reason of why they were here in the first place.

"King Demnar, We called upon this visit for an important reason which relates to the events surrounding the magical world as a whole," said Harry seriously, a grim expression on his face.

"What reason would that be, Lord Potter?" asked Demnar, the look of impassiveness never left his face.

"The situation with the Dark wizard who calls himself Voldemort, King Demnar," said Salazar, speaking for the first time since they entered the throne room.

"It is human's affair, wizard, why should we concern ourselves with your human problems? We are neutral beings," said one of the council goblins with a sneer on his face. Salazar's own sneer surfaced which reminded Harry of Snape when he had the similar facial expression permanent on his face. Even after spending a decade with Salazar, Harry couldn't make his blood brother let the past with the Slytherin family go and live in the present, though it was an improvement of what Salazar would have turned into when having no one to care about him.

"If you get your head out of your arse, you would realize that Voldemort takes no consideration of neutrals. Either you are with him or against him or dead; there is no other option available. Voldemort looks down upon everyone, even his pureblood followers as inferiors and he will not hesitate to kill any race he thinks are inferior or light," said Salazar with a glare and a sneer and Harry paled dramatically as he heard the insult. Thankfully, King Demnar just chuckled and nodded his head in agreement making the color in Harry's face return and Salazar to calm down enough to hear Harry scold him through their link.

"Alas, you are right Lord Slytherin. Voldemort will not hesitate to kill any race he thinks are inferior to him but what are you asking of us? To take part in the war right now would be suicidal for our race and our business, for Voldemort will turn his eye on us rather than keep it on the wizards," said King Demnar grimly.

"We only ask, King Demnar, of your assistance when it is needed in dire times. We shall not call upon your help unless it would be necessary to do so and in the mean time, Voldemort will have other things to focus on," said Harry reassuringly. They needed to know that the goblins would either side with them in the war or not side at all.

"If you would give us an hour to discuss the matter between ourselves, noble lords," said Demnar and both wizards were ushered into the guest room they previously occupied. As soon as they entered and the goblin guards left, Harry turned rapidly to Salazar with anger in his eyes.

"Are you stupid, Sal, or do you have a death wish? The goblins could have killed us any minute and you go insulting the elders' goblin council?" growled Harry angrily. Salazar smirked and shook his head with a sigh.

"They wouldn't have killed us, Harry, unless we harmed their king which was something not in our intentions. This mark," said Salazar, showing the mark on his wrist, "is of extreme importance to them and they would never kill us without an extremely good reason."

"We didn't need to test that, Salazar."

* * *

An hour later, the goblin guards came back and escorted Harry and Sal to the throne room. They entered and Harry's concern increased at some smirks on the faces of some goblin elders, as if they were announcing that they were victorious. Both wizards approached the king, bowed, and sat down on their previous chairs.

"We have decided, noble lords, that the goblins will take no part in your war and shall stay neutral throughout the entire ordeal, for it is a great risk to enter such a war," said King Demnar with a stone expression on his face. Harry and Salazar were disappointed and stood up, bowing to the king once more.

"Then it is of no use wasting more of your valuable time, King Demnar, and we thank you for the meeting. By your Leave, your highness, and May the gold flow your way," said Harry politely as he and Salazar, whose face was on the verge of exploding from anger, retreated from the room. As they approached the door, the king called for them to wait as he strode towards them regally.

"I know it upsets you, noble lords, but to risk entering such war openly is a great jeopardy to our business. Many pureblood families in the wizarding world side with Lord Voldemort and their money is in our bank. However if you shall require any other assistance aside from the war, you only have to ask. Our ancestors respected and helped you and so shall we," said the King before returning to his throne and nodding to them. Although it had not progressed as they expected, the visit had a benefit after all and it did not go waste.

They were escorted back to another office of a goblin named Silvertooth, where they asked to reclaim the property of Hogwarts from the hands of the ministry. Silvertooth was in shock but spoke rapidly to another goblin who disappeared for a few minutes before coming back with an expensive looking box.

"Place two drops of your blood on the box, my lords," asked Silvertooth carefully. They complied, both placed two drops from their fingers, and the box opened with a click. Removing its lid, Silvertooth took out the papers and handed them to the founders of Hogwarts. Harry and Salazar put their right hand on the parchment and whispered in unison.

"I reclaim thee."

* * *

Harry and Salazar spent a few hours in Diagon Alley, where Salazar headed for his heaven or in other words, the apothecary, while Harry strolled down the alley

Watching whatever in display and having an ice cream from Florean's Fortescue Ice Cream parlor. They headed to the apparation point after buying everything they needed and disappeared.

Apparating to the edge of the wards, Harry and Sal walked slowly and as they entered the range of the wards, Hogwarts herself seemed to be in panic and called for her masters. They ran swiftly to the castle and entered the Great Hall to find all the students on the tables with some refreshments. However, not one single face was smiling with the exception of some Slytherins who had smirks and smiles on their faces.

It was the grim face of the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, which told Harry that something went horribly wrong. Harry looked around to the Gryffindor table and his eyes swept upon the students and resting on a sobbing Ginny and a pale faced tear stricken Ron. It was then that the answer dawned on him.

'_Hermione,' _was the only thought in Harry's mind before he opened his mental link with Hogwarts.

"**Hogwarts, where is Hermione Granger, and what happened to her?" **Harry sent to the sentient school. A series of images entered Harry's mind, filling him on what happened and the regret Hogwarts felt when her wards were not strong or recharged enough to prevent what happened. He opened his eyes with extreme rage filled in them to find Dumbledore and Rowena standing in front of him.

"Hermione is missing, Harry, she seems to have been kidnapped. We found Ron stunned and with a few injuries in the Gryffindor common room but no traces of Hermione anywhere," said Dumbledore gloomily, his eyes showing weariness. "We also found Colin and Dennis Creevey to be under the Imperius curse but with no memory of what happened."

"Voldemort has Hermione and he wants me to go rescue her."

"Where was everybody when this happened?" asked Harry gritting his teeth. _'How could a kidnap happen and no one realizes until it is too late? In a school full of children and professors for Merlin's sake!' _Harry thought angrily.

"I was casting the Fidelius charm on the burrow with Minerva's help, Albus was at the ministry, and Miss Morgan was in Hogsmeade village," said the Ravenclaw head of house, Filius Flitwick. "The other professors were not informed of the incident as of the nature of their work."

"My only question is why Voldemort would only kidnap Hermione and leave the kid of a pureblood light family behind?" asked McGonagall confused. Dumbledore, however, was not the person who had answered the question but a hate filled Harry, brimming with rage.

"So he would deliver the message," hissed Harry angrily, his aura wrapped around him as a blanket and the anger discharged from him in waves. The events were piling up together inside Harry, which made even Occlumency unable to calm him down.

"**_I will hunt you like a dog, Tom, mark my words." _**The words came out in Parseltongue and vibrated throughout the school, ringing in every corner and made everyone shiver in fear as Harry swept out of the room to prepare for the task ahead.


	15. The Black Prince

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**AN: This chapter may contain graphic violence. You've been warned before and if you're not mature enough to read graphic violence, then don't read it.**

**Chapter 15: The Black Prince**

Harry spent the rest of the day in his quarters meditating to keep his anger in check and think rationally instead of rushing headfirst into the rescue of his best friend, which was one of the things he learned after living with Salazar for a decade.

He still didn't believe that Voldemort could just kidnap Hermione, put two students under the Imperius curse, and get them out that easy. A feeling of guilt welled up inside him, berating him for not spending enough time with his young best friends. The war with Voldemort was showing its ugly face and he felt that it was impossible to do what was required of him all at once.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to find his girlfriend, the love of his life, Rowena looking back at him with sympathy and understanding. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her embrace, running her hand through his black locks softly and kissing the top of his head as it laid on her shoulder in weariness.

"I can't do this, Rowena," mumbled Harry as he held Rowena tightly. She had never seen him looking so insecure and almost fragile. The war's toll was taking effect on him and the burden that he carried on his shoulder was a destiny no one should ever bear.

She knew that Hermione was one of the most important people in Harry's life, and she admired the girl who stood by her boyfriend through every obstacle in his life, helping him whenever she could. She led him to their bed and laid herself beside him carefully as he held her tightly to him, as if he was getting all his strength from her.

* * *

In the dungeons of Voldemort's hideout sat Hermione on the cold floor of the cell almost naked but untouched until now, except for a few minor scratches. She shivered from the cold and tears were falling freely in her lap, the fear of what Voldemort's servants will do played through her mind continuously.

The last thing she remembered was the Creevey brothers pointing their wands at them and a stunning spell. She wondered what had happened to Ron and her chest tightened at the thought of Ron being dead. Suddenly she heard an echo of footsteps that were getting louder until the person stopped in front of the cell door.

She looked up from her sitting place as the cell door clicked open and a cloaked Death Eater entered, closing the cell door with a wave of his wand. The worst possible scenarios played in her mind as to what the Death Eater will do to her, torturing, raping, or killing. She saw him reaching for his pocket and closed her eyes, knowing that it was not good and flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Open your eyes, girl. I have no time," said a masculine voice and Hermione found herself looking up. He handed something to her as she struggled to keep her fear down. It was a golden locket with a snake on it, gleaming brightly in the darkness of the cell.

"Give this to Potter or Dumbledore, girl. Tell them the other Horcrux in the cave is a fake one and to destroy this locket immediately. And tell him that Voldemort is attempting necromancy to contact a powerful wizard of the ancients," said the hooded figure, before sweeping out of the room, looking sideways to make sure that no one saw him.

"Don't wear it around your neck or it will kill you," said the Death Eater before closing the door after him, leaving Hermione alone in her cell again. She tucked the locket in what remained of her clothes, realizing that this was an important artifact if a Death Eater risked his life to get it to Harry, and sat waiting for the events to unfold.

* * *

The next morning before breakfast found the three founders, the headmaster, and the rest of the order sitting in the headmaster's office, trying to find a way to rescue Hermione from Voldemort's clutches. Everyone in the castle could feel its sorrow and sadness at the disappearance of one of her children and its regret that it failed to inform her masters of the situation.

The order members were talking between themselves, waiting for the headmaster to begin the meeting. The news of Hermione's kidnap traveled fast everywhere and Molly Weasley had cried herself out for her son's girlfriend. She had come to look at Harry and Hermione as her kids and seeing them injured or hurt in anyway tore her heart.

"Silence, please," said Dumbledore, causing everybody to stop speaking and turn to their leader. "I hereby begin the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Kingsley, do you have anything to report?"

Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt stood up and addressed the rest of the order, giving of his report. After that, several order members gave reports and discussed a few nonsense discussions that made Harry angrier that the order cared about the some trivial things than saving his best friend.

"We will now discuss the kidnap of one of the students, Hermione Granger. For those who do not know, She was kidnapped from the Gryffindor common room after a couple of kids under Imperius stunned her and we assume that they took her outside the castle to where an illegal portkey was ready to deliver her to Voldemort," spoke Dumbledore gravely.

"What are you going to do to save her, Dumbledore?" asked Harry edgily, as Dumbledore finished his little speech. He was pissed off that Dumbledore would put off the kidnap of his best friend to the last issue of discussion.

"We will send search parties in known parts of the wizarding world and we will keep an eye on a few suspicious death eaters and see if they know something which would help us determine where Hermione is," said Dumbledore wearily, his true age appearing on his face. He had his hand on the side of his head, trying very hard to hold down the headache that was rapidly forming inside his head.

"That's it, Dumbledore? You are going to do nothing while Voldemort could be torturing Hermione and doing to her Merlin knows what," hissed Harry angrily, making some of the order members shiver.

"What would you have me do, Harry? I have no spy inside Voldemort's ranks after Severus was killed and I have no idea where Voldemort's hideout is. We don't have any information about where she could be held and even if we do, the ministry will not lend us enough Aurors to storm a Death Eater hideout," said Dumbledore gravely.

"So the esteemed leader of the light thinks my best friend is expendable? If I were in her shoes Dumbledore, you would have been searching every corner of this country trying to find me, as I am too valuable to lose. Is it because she is not in some stupid prophecy made by a fraud?" bellowed Harry angrily before sweeping out the room, followed by Rowena who was trying hard to calm him down.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" asked Tonks confused.

It was a huge mistake as Salazar turned around with his wand in his hand, sneering condescendingly at her while trying hard not to hex her. He marveled the stupidity of these people and the vanity of which they carried themselves.

"It's a wonder that Voldemort still hadn't killed everyone on the light side if they are as stupid as you are. What crawled up his ass is that his best friend was kidnapped and if you didn't know, Harry would kill anyone who stands in his way of saving Hermione, even you, Dumbledore," said Salazar with a sneer.

"Harry is not that aggressive, Mr. Morgan. I've known him for his whole life, he is a dear and will listen to Dumbledore's logic," said Molly Weasley disapprovingly.

"What you don't know, Mrs. Weasley, is that if you stand between Harry and those he cares about, you are as good as dead. Harry sacrificed any opportunity to have a normal life for all of you, so that you stay at home feeling safe and secure. He sacrificed his own childhood and most of his life to be what you expected him to be, a savior, and a warrior. However, when it comes to rescuing his best friend, you say that! What is wrong with you?" said Salazar, barely keeping himself from hexing her.

"We can't have him go and get himself killed, Salazar," said Dumbledore, "Harry is extremely important in this war and if he is killed then all hope for the wizarding world is lost."

"I will give you a warning, Dumbledore, and it would be wise to heed it. He is not your pawn or servant and don't you ever think of him as such or try to control him," said Salazar sneeringly, before turning to Molly Weasley.

"If it had been your daughter or one of your dear sons, you wouldn't have tried to stop him," said Salazar looking at Molly Weasley, before leaving the room in search for his best friend and brother with his cloak bellowing behind him in a Snape-like manner.

The rest of the order had thoughtful and shocked expressions on their faces, contemplating what happened in the last few minutes. After what it seemed like eternity, Moody broke the silence with a question that made Dumbledore's face pale with defeat.

"What did Harry mean 'too valuable to lose', Albus? And what about that prophecy?" asked Moody, both eyes fixed towards Dumbledore in suspicion. The other members of the order nodded their head and looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to answer the question. Dumbledore sighed softly, wondering how the situation had ended up as complicated as it was now.

"The prophecy that I assigned most of you to protect in the Department of Mysteries, stated that Harry is the only person who has the power to vanquish Voldemort. Harry and Voldemort are the only ones capable of killing each other so neither can live while the other survives," Dumbledore said gravely, shocking the order members to silence. Molly Weasley was the first one to react as she wept on her husband's shoulder as what Dumbledore said dawned on her.

They headed down to breakfast, each one occupied with that had been said in the Headmaster's office as they concluded the meeting. They ate silently, watching the immense sadness and depressing mood among the students at the loss of their friend as they talked quietly between themselves. Ron was pushing his food around, having lost his appetite to eat since he woke up the day before. He spoke to no one and his eyes seemed blank, blaming himself for Hermione's abduction.

* * *

In another place, a figure was kneeling before Voldemort waiting for the dark lord to reply. Anyone could feel the fear rolling from said figure, but Voldemort sat on his throne with a maniacal smile on his face. Only the Inner Circle were present at this initiation meeting, as they were getting ready to receive a guest as their lord had put it.

"You wish to willingly serve me, then," hissed Voldemort in amusement.

"Yes my lord," replied the hooded figure without stuttering, although Voldemort could sense the fear.

'_Now that is new_,' Voldemort thought as he observed the figure in front of him. _'This is a dream come true, a spy within the light side, serving willingly._'

"Why would I allow you to serve me? How would I know that you won't betray me like others tried to and failed? After all, I killed one of your family members."

"I have important news for you, my lord. I could also supply you valuable information about the light side," said the figure determinedly.

"Why do you wish to serve me?"

"I wish to kill those who wronged me, my lord."

'Don't we all,' though Voldemort bitterly, before nodding to Andreas Nott, his right hand man after Malfoy was killed in his own Manor. The Death Eater presented the figure with a necklace with the dark mark on it, making the figure more confused.

"What about the dark mark, master?" said the figure.

"You have to earn it," hissed Voldemort. "I will know if you betrayed me and it will be your death. This is your first mission to prove to me that you indeed want to serve me. Succeed and you will be rewarded, as you well know. But fail and you will die a painful death."

"What is your command, my lord," said the quivering figure.

"Kill our dear minister Fudge," hissed Voldemort, "tonight."

After the new recruit apparated away to start the mission, Voldemort turned to his Death eaters and spoke again. "Now return to your places, for we are having an important guest tonight. Bring me the girl."

It was in the middle of the meal when a black raven flew through the window and landed in front of Harry, hissing viciously at anyone looking in his direction. Harry looked at the envelope and waved his wand at it, making the raven screech and fly away angrily. His name was written in an elegant yet unfamiliar handwriting and Harry didn't know anyone who had a raven for a pet. He checked the letter for curses but found none so he opened the folded letter and began to read.

_My dear Harry, _

Your dear mudblood is in my possession and I must say she looks exquisite naked. She is still untouched, though my servants are itching to have their fun with her. Please join me for a little talk at my home so we could discuss a few things and you could see your little mudblood.

_A servant of mine will wait for you in front of Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley in two hours but if you are not there, I will allow my servants to have the pleasure of teaching the mudblood her place in our society. _

_Superiorly yours, _

_Lord Voldemort_

_PS: You know what will happen if you are accompanied, Harry. _

All the students in the hall stopped talking at once as a sense of dread, fear and cold enveloped the Great Hall, making some students scream, thinking it was Dementors. However, the source was coming from the direction of the Head table, particularly from their Defense teacher.

Harry stood up as soon as he finished the letter; a dark aura surrounded him freely yet controlled so not to damage anything. His eyes turned coal black and it looked as if there was an invisible wind moving his hair. His entire body shook with rage and barely constrained energy danced on his skin, waiting for the release from its cage. He swept away from the head table and out of the hall, giving the image of a Dementor, leaving the letter behind as Dumbledore, Salazar, and Rowena reached to read it.

They had a look of horror on their faces as they finished the letter and ran out of the hall after Harry, hoping to catch him before he made anything serious. Salazar paled as he remembered the last time Harry released so many negative emotions and shuddered when he recalled the incident.

They arrived just in time to see Harry putting on his battle robes and holstering his wand. His eyes still had the black color, though it had lessened a little, he looked ready to kill, so Dumbledore thought it was wise to keep his mouth shut this time. He took a good look at Harry and wondered what had happened to Harry Potter, the little boy whose smile could light a room.

This Harry was not what he remembered from five month ago, the frail thin Harry who had the determination to prove himself in every adventure, the Harry who always have had hope and trust in him, coming to him with any Voldemort problem.

This Harry Potter looked as they portrayed him in the history of the magical world, as the terrifying Black Prince of Hogwarts, one of the most knowledgeable and dangerous wizards in the last thousand years.

Harry turned to the three other people in his room and glared at Dumbledore, making the old wizard almost flinch. He knew that they were here to stop him or at least Dumbledore was.

"Don't try and stop me, Dumbledore," hissed Harry at the headmaster, who shook his head.

"I'm not here to stop you, Harry. I just wanted to apologize," replied Dumbledore grimly.

"I will come with you, Harry," said Salazar, reaching for his battle robe, but stopped as a hand held his arm.

"No, Sal. I need to do this alone and you need to be here in case Hogwarts is attacked. Dumbledore might be the Headmaster but you are its founder and can sustain the wards, in case of an attack," said Harry firmly, stopping Salazar with a hand on his arm.

"Be safe then, my brother," said Salazar.

He looked finally at Rowena, who gave him a smile and pecked him on the lips. It was as if someone turned off light switch as Harry's aura receded and as he opened his eyes after the kiss, they were their normal color again.

"Don't go there carrying your anger on your sleeve and do something foolish. I need you back alive and in one piece. I love you," Rowena said softly, kissing Harry and holding back tears that threatened to fall.

"Take me with you, sir," said a feminine voice from the doorframe. Harry turned around and groaned as he saw Blaise standing in her dueling robes, a determined glint in her eyes.

"No Blaise, you are not ready yet and I have to do this alone," Harry said with a sigh. She was about to protest but flinched when Harry fixed her with a gaze that ended the discussion. Harry walked towards her and lifted her chin so she looked into his eyes.

"When you are ready, Blaise, I will not hold you back from any fight but this is not your fight yet," said Harry softly, patting her cheek and walking out his quarters into the entrance hall. However, fate seemed to have something for him as he found Ron waiting in the Entrance with his wand at the ready.

"I'm going with you, Harry," said Ron firmly, as Harry neared the entrance hall.

"No Ron, we had this discussion before. You are not a fully trained wizard and I don't want to worry about you being injured or killed. I'm not even taking Salazar with me," said Harry gravely.

"She is my girlfriend, Harry. I love her and I'm going to rescue her whether you like it or not," replied Ron angrily, making Harry sigh.

"Alright Ron, you will come with me. But If you are in danger, I want you to take the Portkey back," said Harry softly, regretting what he was going to do and Ron nodded in thanks. Salazar and Dumbledore looked at Harry as if he was mad but Harry just handed Ron a toothbrush.

"On the count of three, it will activate. I'm apparating there so you will have to wait for me, okay?" Ron nodded, counted to three, and disappeared as the Portkey activated.

"Hogwarts, sweetheart, if you would please lock the Headmaster's office, I would be most grateful," said Harry sweetly before heading out of the castle, leaving a chuckling headmaster, a laughing Salazar and an amused Rowena.

"He would sweet talk the castle but forget that with me," muttered Rowena as she entered the Great hall, making Salazar laugh harder.

* * *

The new Death Eater appeared at the apparation point at the ministry of magic, nervous about the mission that seemed impossible to do alone and as the time passed, the Death Eater began to have doubts about joining Voldemort. Moving along the ministry levels, having been here before, the Death Eater ascended to the level where the minister's office was located.

Two Aurors were located on either side of the door leading to the minister's office. The Death Eater silenced one of the Aurors, who was snoozing softly and hadn't realized that an intruder was in front of him.

"_Avada Kedavra"_

The familiar green light struck the silenced Auror squarely in the chest, killing him instantly in his place. The other Auror was about to turn around when he was also struck with the killing curse from the Death Eater.

'That was easy,' thought the Death Eater before entering the minister's office to find Cornelius Fudge drinking a glass of wine, while looking at a magazine in front of him.

"Leave the papers at the shelf, Linda," said Fudge absentmindedly, looking through the magazine, which was called 'Play Wizard'. The Death Eater almost laughed but managed to keep on to complete the required mission.

"What would the wizarding world do when they realize their Minister is reading porn magazines instead of combating the Dark wizards," taunted the figure. Fudge looked up so quickly that his head almost cracked, looking in horror at the wand pointed at him.

"YOU!"

"_Avada Kedavra."_

The minister died instantly from the third killing curse this day and the attacker sneered for a second before taking a Floo powder from the pot and muttering "Leaky Cauldron."

* * *

Harry appeared at the apparation point of Knockturn alley and headed towards a shop he was very familiar with, Borgin and Burkes. He arrived discreetly at the shop and noticed a hooded person waiting in front of it, twirling his wand in his fingers. Harry took out his wand from its holster and shot a stunning spell at the unsuspecting Death Eater, who threw up a weak shield charm that the spell broke upon impact, stunning and sending him to the floor.

He walked slowly towards the fallen figure and bound him with a wave of his wand, removing the mask with another wave to show the face of Marcus Flint, an ex Hogwarts Slytherin student.

"My master will kill you Potter," shouted the bound Death Eater, though no one paid him any attention.

"Of course he will, Flint," replied Harry sarcastically. "That's why I'm still standing and he needed a body surgery to get ready to fight me." The Slytherin death eater sneered at Harry but said nothing as he struggled to free himself from ropes binding him.

"You will be my special host tonight. _Imperio," _said Harry, the dark look returning to his eyes.

"Give me the Portkey," commanded Harry and Flint replied, presenting Harry with the portkey who destroyed it the moment Flint gave it up. Harry felt Flint resisting the imperious curse and decided to release him from it, as this particular unforgivable was not one of his best curses.

"You couldn't even hold the Imperius on me, Potter," said Flint with a sneer. Harry smirked darkly, making the death eater in front of him shiver in fear.

"I will be doing a better thing, Flint. _Stupefy,"_ said Harry with a sneer as the death eater fell stunned again. Normally, Harry wouldn't have even thought of doing what he was going to do but with Hermione in Voldemort's clutches and the taunting letter, he was willing to kill anything in order to reach her.

Harry performed an invisibility spell on himself before holstering his wand and putting both hands on the sides of Flint's head. If anyone had been watching Harry, they would have seen his eyes turn purple and Flint's face twist into an expression of extreme pain. Both of them began to glow a purple color before Harry removed his hand and stood back, closing his eyes. Flint opened his eyes and stood up, looking at Harry blankly.

Harry took a rock from the floor and pointed his wand at it for a second, waving it in a delicate series of wand movements, and muttering 'Portus'. The rock glowed blue and Harry put it in Flint's pocket as the Death Eater used the Dark Mark to Apparate to his master, disappearing from Knockturn alley.

Marcus Flint appeared inside Voldemort's throne room, where many Death Eaters were kneeling in a circle or standing in lines. Flint joined the Death Eaters standing in lines at the back of the room, his hood up, and standing stiffly.

"Where are the blasted Flint and the bloody boy," hissed Voldemort's voice as he waited for anybody to appear where the portkey was assigned. Flint took out his wand from his place, muttering a spell.

"**_Trucido aliquantus,_"** he said, waving his wand in a zigzag like fashion. Several Death Eaters' heads exploded in a shower of human parts and the other Death Eaters had the right mind to sense the black beam of dark magic and dodge it. Panic spread through the Death Eaters as several bodies blew up in pieces. Voldemort's fury amplified as he watched his Death Eaters being blown up from one of their own.

Several stunners, cutting and killing curses flew from the Death Eaters' wands but Flint dodged expertly, sending a bone-breaking hex at one of the Inner Circle Death Eaters. Antonin Dolohov screamed as his leg was crushed to dust by the spell, swaying before he fell to the ground in pain. Voldemort's face twisted in anger as he saw the junior Death Eater sending unknown and dangerous curses at his fellow Death Eaters.

"_Crucio," _hissed Voldemort angrily but he was surprised when Flint dodged the spell and aimed the wand at the nearest Death Eaters and shouted in a familiar but not his own voice.

"**Flamma aranea."**

Spider webs made of fire caught five Death Eaters, burning through their skin to the bones, not stopping until the victim was dead. Voldemort's eyes widened a little as he recognized the voice casting the spell and to say he was impressed would be an understatement.

"I had thought that being a golden boy would keep you above using Dark magic, Harry, and possession no less. I see that you are on the right track of becoming a powerful dark wizard," said Voldemort clapping as Flint fell to the floor after being disarmed by the rest of the Death Eaters. Flint grinned darkly from his place on the floor at the dark lord, before replying with a hiss of Parseltongue.

"_You do what you have to do, Tom. You have my friend, so I thought I would return the favor." _

It took immense hate to possess someone and a strong will to keep possessing him that long. Harry was on the verge of throwing up as he left Flint's mind and possessed another weak-minded Death Eater, reminding himself that Hermione was in danger.

"Come out and play, Harry. I still have your mudblood," said Voldemort, summoning Hermione under his feet. Harry's anger flared, making Voldemort turn around to search for Harry who stood in the possessed body away from the rest of the Death Eaters smugly in the dim light that illuminated Voldemort's throne room, making all the Death Eaters point their wands at him.

"Nice place, Tom. It's a really warm house you got there," said Harry, walking slowly into the center of the room.

"Why, thank you, Harry. These were powerful and beautiful curses you threw at my Death Eaters, Harry, would you care to tell me how you came to know it?" said Voldemort gleefully, holding his wand steadily in front of him, waiting for Harry to make the first move.

"I don't think you kidnapped my best friend and invited me here just to trade knowledge of curses, Tom," said Harry scathingly.

"Too right, Harry. How about we play a little game?" said Voldemort in amusement, red eyes glinting dangerously. "There is a game that muggle filth had brilliantly invented, called First blood."

"I didn't know you were still in touch with your daddy Muggle heritage, Tom," replied Harry sarcastically, making Voldemort really pissed.

"Shall we play, Harry?"

Harry knew that even if he managed to win the sick little game of his, Hermione would be put in harms way. In addition, the possession of two different Death Eaters had him very tired and on the verge of exhaustion. He gathered some of his energy into his left hand, which was behind his back and banished the portkey in Flint's pocket towards Hermione extremely fast that she disappeared before Voldemort could comprehend what happened.

"POTTER!" yelled Voldemort angrily as his hostage disappeared in front of his eyes. To say that Voldemort was raged would be the understatement of the century.

"Sorry, Tommy boy, I have no time to play right now. Your Death Eater's body is revolting so maybe next time when I am my usual handsome self," said Harry cheekily before he left the Death Eaters body, retreated to his own body, and threw up violently on the floor. The invisibility spell had worn off at sometime and people had begun to gather around. The last thing he felt was Calidus, his phoenix 'mother' as she considered him her child, flashing him to Hogwarts.

Hermione had arrived earlier at Hogwarts in the hospital wing via Harry's portkey and Fawkes appeared in a flash of flames, hearing a wounded person loyal to his master calling to him. Arriving in a flash of flames at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey hurried to check upon the supposedly missing person, running diagnostic spells on Hermione to determine her injuries as Fawkes began to cry on some of the injuries.

"Madam Pomfrey, I have to see Dumbledore," said Hermione weakly, barely able to keep from losing herself to unconsciousness.

"Young lady, you need your rest. You can talk to the headmaster, later," said Poppy Pomfrey fussily. In an act, which Hermione would deny later on, she held poppy close to her by her shirt and gritted through her teeth.

"My best friend is fighting Voldemort after saving me. You will get me Dumbledore, now!"

"There is no need, Poppy."

Madam Pomphery was about to turn when she found Dumbledore in front of her at the hospital wing door, concern written all over his face. He ran to Hermione's side quickly with agility that no man his age should have, relief flooding through him upon seeing Hermione fine.

"Hermione, my dear, tell me what happened. Where is Harry?" said Dumbledore quickly.

"Harry…fighting…Voldemort…portkey…," said Hermione weakly.

"Harry's fighting Voldemort and he gave you a portkey?" asked Dumbledore carefully and Hermione nodded resting her head on the pillow.

"A Death Eater gave me a locket and told me to inform you that you should destroy it immediately. That the Horcrux in the cave is a fake one and Voldemort is attempting to contact or revive someone through necromancy," Hermione said before sliding into unconsciousness from exhaustion. He stood up after patting Hermione's head and walked towards the door, lost in thought when a first year Ravenclaw ran up to him.

"Professor Dumbledore," said the first year, panting heavily. "Professor Potter…Great Hall…injured."


	16. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 16: Aftermath**

Harry spent a couple of days at the Hospital Wing suffering from the exhaustion of having to possess two individuals. Madam Pomfrey had dismissed Hermione after making sure that she was perfectly healthy but decided to keep Harry for a few days longer in order to keep an eye on any after-effects of his condition.

Salazar and Rowena had never left Harry's side from the moment he appeared unconscious in the Great hall. Naturally, Rowena scolded him for returning unconscious and exhausted but her lecture was overshadowed by Hermione's screaming tirade about risking his life to save hers. Salazar had barely escaped unscathed from Rowena's wrath concerning his apparent 'reluctance' to accompany his own blood brother. He escaped to his Chamber of Secrets after Rowena and Hermione threatened to neuter him for not insisting on accompanying Harry on such a dangerous mission.

The news of Fudge's death caused outrage amongst some people while others shared the same thought: 'good riddance' before laboring on with their day normally as if nothing out of order had happened. The only people who were actively concerned about the situation where Dumbledore and Harry as the minister's death had not created much to smile about. Sure, Fudge was a stupid pompous imbecile of a minister who made his life's goal to slander Harry and Dumbledore, but he was at least neither a Death Eater nor an intelligent individual.

It weighed heavily on Harry's mind as he sat in the Weasley household, drinking some tea and playing with his daughter. Heather stood on Harry's knee and played with his hair, giggling as the long strands of jet-black hair curled her little hand. Whenever Harry thought of the burden on his shoulders, a giggle from his daughter would wash away his fears, leaving him peaceful and content.

His mind hurled back to the day of Hermione's rescue and his trip to Voldemort's hideout. Even though he practiced some of the Darkest arts as he traveled with Salazar in the past, the possession of Flint and the other Death Eater filled him with disgust and revulsion. He felt a tingling sensation but ignored it, seeing as he was in an unplottable house with a Fidelius Charm and no harmful people.

Someone cleared his throat behind Harry, making him jump with his wand outstretched and Heather held closely in his arm. There stood Remus Lupin chuckling softly at Harry, which resulted in a confused expression etched on Harry's face.

"I must say that you look fetching with Pink hair and yellow spots, Harry," said Remus laughing as Harry's confusion increased. Remus took pity on him and conjured a mirror for Harry to see his misfortune. He groaned and Remus laughed again as he tried to fix his hair. He looked around for the twins but they were in their shop at this time.

"Fix it, Remus. That prank was uncalled for," said Harry, fixing Remus with a glare. Remus raised his hand in surrender and looked openly at Harry, giving him the 'I'm innocent' look.

"I regret to say that this masterpiece is not of my creation. I just came here to say hi, and not this kind of hi," said Remus in mock regret. Harry was about to retort when another tingle vibrated in the room but not aimed at Harry this time. A spark of light appeared above Remus, turning his hair yellow and his robes vibrant orange. Harry chuckled at Moony's misfortune and traced the magic back to its caster, who turned to be none other than his little girl.

"Heather! You performed magic," said Harry excitedly, spinning his daughter around, making her giggle and squeal happily.

"Ah, a little Marauder is discovered," said Remus cheerfully, raising Heather in his arms as if she was made of gold. Harry groaned and massaged his neck before taking his daughter from Remus and tickling her.

"A little prankster, I would have loved to see Snape's face when he found out," said Remus chuckling. Harry glared at him and snapped angrily, "Yet she won't have the luxury, as he's dead."

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean it that way. I know that Severus would have been a good father to Heather and I'm sure he appreciates you taking care of his daughter. The situation with you and Heather may be similar but that's why Dumbledore trusted you with raising her and being her new father. You may not have had the luxury to know James, Lily, or even Sirius well but that is why you mustn't repeat what happened, Harry. You are given a chance, a privilege to be a father to her, something which was not available to you," said Remus apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I didn't mean to snap at you but everyday I feel terrified that Heather could go through what I had at the Dursleys. Although she's not my biological daughter, I love her as if she is and nothing will ever change that. I never want her to be robbed of her happiness, her childhood innocence like it happened with me."

Remus patted Harry on the shoulder sympathetically, glancing apologetically at him. Harry turned to his daughter and couldn't help but smile as he watched her yawn cutely and raise her little arms up demanding to be carried. Harry took her lovingly and she fell asleep on his shoulder as soon as she settled herself.

A pop echoed through the living room and two arms wrapped themselves around Harry, hugging him from behind. Harry smiled and turned to kiss his girlfriend when he encountered a pair of violet eyes.

"Hey Harry," said Bellatrix cheerfully.

"Hello Bella, it's good to see you," he replied softly. Bellatrix smiled and kissed his cheek before kissing little Heather on the forehead. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see little Heather and make sure that you're okay. Madam Pomfrey is calling for your blood after she discovered you escaped the hospital wing," said Bellatrix amused. Harry rolled his eyes as he tucked Heather in her bed and kissed her forehead lovingly.

"I wanted to apologize for the other night, Harry. I had no right to insult you or Rowena," said Bellatrix apologetically. Harry waved his hand in dismissal. "I know you did not mean it, Bella, and I understand what you are going through."

'_Yeah right,'_ thought Bellatrix bitterly before smiling as Harry hugged her.

"Thank you for being here for me, Bella, you really are a wonderful person," said Harry kissing her cheek before he wrapped his cloak around him and vanished.

"You're welcome," said Bella sadly, to where Harry had been standing moments before.

* * *

Harry walked through the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts, heading to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore had asked Harry when he was laying in the Hospital wing to pay him a visit after Madam Pomfrey released him. He walked whistling for a few seconds before a shriek caught his attention. 

"POTTER!"

Harry turned quickly and witnessed an intimidating sight. Madam Pomfrey had a look of fury on her face and was running towards him with her wand in her hand. Harry gulped, knowing that he had two more days to spend at the hospital wing before running as fast as he could with Poppy Pomfrey on his tail. He reached the headmaster's office and ran up the stairs. He entered and ran to hide behind a startled Dumbledore, who understood what was happening when the nurse showed up.

"Potter! Get your butt in the hospital wing or I'm going to hex you so bad, that the only one who would be able to help you is me," growled Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore laughed hard. Harry, although a powerful wizard, was still intimidated by three people, Rowena Ravenclaw, Molly Weasley and Poppy Pomfrey.

"Do you promise you will release me, tonight?" asked Harry from behind Dumbledore's chair, his head appearing for a few moments.

"You will not negotiate with me Harry Potter," said Poppy menacingly.

Dumbledore had to fight to stop laughing at Harry's expense, but finally managed to control himself for a few moments. "Although this is most enjoyable, I had summoned Harry here to speak with him about an important matter, Poppy. You have my word that Harry will return to the hospital wing as soon as possible."

"You're taking her side?" Harry whispered.

"I heard that, Potter," shouted Madam Pomfrey, making Harry hide back behind Dumbledore. "Alright, Albus, I will hold you responsible if my patient is not in the hospital wing in 2 hours." After that, Madam Pomfrey took her leave to her sanctuary, the hospital wing, waiting for Harry.

"She is one scary woman," said Harry as he took a seat in front of the Headmaster. Dumbledore chuckled merrily and nodded his head with a smile.

"Quite right, my boy, quite right. You have faced many dangers and horrors and never shy way from them, yet you're intimidated by Poppy, Molly, and Rowena."

"You've never seen Rowena when she's angry. She…"

"I'm what Potter," said Rowena mischievously as she entered the office with Salazar smirking after her.

'_Traitor'_ sent Harry to Salazar, who grinned and replied. '_I live to serve, brother."_

"You look beautiful, Rowena, more so when you're angry," said Harry timidly, earning himself a nod of approval.

"You're learning, Potter."

Finally Dumbledore couldn't keep it any longer and threw his head back, chuckled serenely as Harry glared at him and smiled sweetly at Rowena, who had a Salazar Slytherin smirk on her face.

"cough Whipped cough," said Salazar with a grin.

"Get a life, Slytherin," muttered Harry.

"Be nice, Potter," chided Rowena with a smirk.

"Sorry." _Salazar taught her the smirk._

Dumbledore watched as one of the most powerful wizards in the history of Hogwarts was chided like a six year old, and his amusement was threatening to make him laugh again.

"Although this is extremely amusing," began Dumbledore as Harry glared at him. "I have gathered you here to discuss a matter of grave importance. When Hermione had returned after Harry had rescued her, she had a locket on her, which she says to have been given to her by a Death Eater. Normally, I would be extremely wary of such an occurrence, but checking the locket, I found an important artifact which would help us in our quest to destroy Lord Voldemort."

"What is it, Albus?" asked Rowena after the headmaster's dramatic pause.

"A Horcrux," was Dumbledore's reply.

"You couldn't have just said I found a Horcrux and be done with it," asked Harry annoyed at the speech. Dumbledore chuckled but didn't reply as Salazar asked another question.

"What was it?" Dumbledore waved his wand at a drawer several times, before a golden locket flew from the drawer and landed in front of them. Salazar glared at the locket, as if waiting for it to explode and disappear. Harry and Rowena noticed Salazar's reaction and squeezed his hand in comfort and reassurance. It didn't go unnoticed by Dumbledore, who raised an eyebrow at the Slytherin founder's reaction towards a locket of his own family.

"It belonged to Salazar's mother and was passed down to the eldest girl of every generation. It is a Slytherin family heirloom and Salazar never got along with his family," said explained Harry, making Salazar snort at the understatement.

"Who did you say have given the locket to Hermione?" asked Rowena suspiciously, sinking deep in thought about the locket.

"A Death Eater."

"A spy you mean," said Salazar wistfully.

"That's the problem. After Severus was killed, I had no spy in Voldemort's ranks and I haven't had one ever since," replied Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. Harry's eyes had gone wide for a few seconds before his thoughts turned to the mysterious person who had given Hermione the locket.

"So there is someone inside Voldemort's ranks helping us, but who is stupid or brave enough to betray Voldemort and who would Voldemort trust with the information about his Horcrux," said Rowena thoughtfully.

"I have no idea, but I am thankful for such a blessing," said Dumbledore joyfully, eating a sherbet lemon, but not before extending his sweet filled bowl.

"Sherbet lemon?"

"Albus, no one had ever tried to take one of these so aren't you supposed to have given up by now?"

"I will certainly try, my boy, until such time when someone would appreciate these beautiful sweets, ah the joy," said Dumbledore popping another lemon drop into his mouth. Salazar rolled his eyes and Rowena sat amused at the ancient Headmaster's antics.

"When are you planning to destroy it, Dumbledore?" asked Harry with an annoyed sigh. It got on his nerves that sometimes Dumbledore had an important matter at hand and all he would do is be distracted or lose himself in the world of Muggle sweets.

'_The man is really eccentric and a lunatic' _thought Harry with a fond smile. He wondered if he had the chance to live that long, would he be offering Muggle sweets or is it just a Dumbledore thing.

"Salazar, Rowena, and I are going to head to the Chamber and destroy the Horcrux tonight. You are in no condition to participate, Harry. You are pale, exhausted and Poppy would certainly have my head if you returned to the hospital wing unconscious a second time in two days," said Dumbledore cutting Harry off as he tried to protest.

"You will need your rest if you are going to update and power up the castle's wards, Harry," said Salazar grinning, "and for other things as well." He managed to duck from Harry's hex and Rowena's fist but the hex caught him in the side of his face, turning his ears into donkey ones.

"You look charming that way, Sal, and I hear that donkeys know their way home," said Harry grinning before he ran out of the office with Salazar on his tail.

"Boys."

* * *

The next couple of days found Harry resting in his office when not teaching his classes. Madam Pomfrey had reluctantly released him when he threatened several times to charm her office to talk back every time she tried to open it. He had charmed it once but had it removed when Rowena threatened to turn Salazar and him to worms and lock them with Hedwig. 

The strangest thing that happened was that Bella and Salazar started to spend a lot of time together. Harry was happy for both of them, since it managed to get Bella off his back about Rowena, and Salazar had found someone to relate to, instead of spending time reading with Harry and Rowena kissing in the next room.

Harry had totally recovered his physical and mental health by the end of the week, with some private incentive from Rowena. The Headmaster, with the help of Salazar and Rowena, managed to destroy the locket and avoid its magical backlash this time around.

Dumbledore had also sent some order members led by Bill Weasley to seal the Cave entrance where he would have gone if the Death Eater spy hadn't given her the Horcrux. They still pondered over whom the Death Eater was but they hadn't come up with something valid.

Harry sat with Salazar, Rowena, Bella, Blaise, and Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office talking about the upgrading of the wards. Harry had wanted to have his best friends with him while he upgraded the wards with the founders, knowing that Hermione would kill for an opportunity to witness the founders of Hogwarts at work and that it would interest Ron. However he knew that he would be putting Rowena, Salazar, and even his best friend themselves in danger if any secret got out.

"So the foundation stone is in your secret chamber, Harry? Isn't it too dangerous to be located that easy?" asked Blaise curiously. Harry smiled and the other founders grinned at the question but left Harry to respond.

"The thing is, Blaise, no one alive or a ghost or even a magical creature could ever find my secret chamber even if they spent their whole lives looking through Hogwarts," replied Harry mysteriously.

"What do you mean, Harry? If Voldemort managed to find the Chamber of secret, he could easily find your chamber," said Bella. Harry shook his head and just said 'You'll see' as they headed out of the Headmaster's office and down the stairs to the Gargoyle outside the office. The Gargoyle closed behind them and the stopped as Harry turned to face the gargoyle.

"Hogwarts, sweetheart, the stairs please," said Harry sweetly to the castle. Rowena rolled her eyes while Salazar patted her on the shoulder sympathetically, trying hard to suppress his laugh, and failing miserably. The gargoyle's eyes glowed green before opening again. This time, the stairs were not going up to the headmaster's office but down to somewhere dark. They stepped inside and the gargoyle shimmered back in place, as if it never moved and leaving them in total darkness.

Harry let go of a little magic and several torches ignited in green flames, illuminating the pathway. The walked for a minute or two before reaching an expensively decorated door, with an emblem of a snake wrapping itself around an eagle's body in what it seemed like a protective manner, something that seemed strange when both were never equal in the food chain. Along side them was a powerful looking strange cat-like creature that had a black coat and brilliant emerald green eyes. It looked like a cross between a panther and a fox, looking extremely menacing and overprotective of what was behind the door.

"Nice emblems," said Blaise reaching to touch the door but three hands and a series of 'No' saved her from having her hand cut off, as the cat like creature growled and strangely stepped out of the picture emblem, appearing quite corporal.

"Who dares wander the sect of the Black Prince? Who dares disturb my sleep?" hissed the cat like creature at them. Harry stepped from behind and walked towards the creature guarding the door, despite the protest of Dumbledore and the two girls.

"Master, it has been eons," hissed the creature, bowing to Harry and purring when Harry scratched behind the ear. He turned to the rest of the group who, excluding the other two founders, were watching in awe.

"Guys, this is Shenda, my room's guardian and the symbol of my Hogwarts house had it been made," said Harry cheerfully to the others who were looking in wonder but Dumbledore's expression was the most comical one. His jaw almost hit the floor as he looked from Harry to the creature and back.

"Sentient Guardian?"

"Bravo, Headmaster, ten points to you," said Harry grinning.

"But they are supposed to be impossible to summon and to accept such a role is unheard off," said Dumbledore. "How would you possibly have one as a guardian?"

"Let's say I can relate to her," said Harry pointing at the cat at his feet. The statement confused everyone except Rowena and Salazar, as they knew what Harry meant and have been down here before when they first cast the wards around the school.

"I will tell you what I mean later. We have an important task here that must be done and a long way to the room," said Harry to the others before turning to the cat like guardian.

"What's a sentient guardian?" asked Blaise to Rowena as they entered another long corridor. The founder of Ravenclaw smiled as she explained the concept of a sentient guardian to her boyfriend's apprentice.

"There are two types of sentient guardians, a transfigured one, and a real one. The transfigured guardians are usually made of rock or some other similar material, like the gargoyle in front of the office, though it's not sentient. The wizard transfigures the rock to figure of his choice, usually an animal and pours a bit of his magic into it. The real sentient guardians, however, are made through a ritual of Summoning, where he summons a real animal to guard something of importance.

Most People use transfigured sentient guardians since they are easier to make and control. The real sentient guardians are more difficult to obtain and nearly impossible to have them guard anything. The wizard summons an animal of his choice and request the help of said animal to help guard something. Sentient guardians are always fussy and rarely do they agree on helping wizards. Harry, however, managed to acquire the help of a real sentient guardian to help guard his room, as it is there where the wards of Hogwarts lie."

"What did Harry mean by 'I can relate to her'? And what was that cat creature?" asked Blaise loudly. Harry blushed and Salazar snickered softly, confusing the rest of them.

"The cat creature is a hybrid between a Chinese magical fox and a shadow Cat. They are intelligent and powerful creatures and are very loyal to a person once the person earns their respect. About your second question, The Cat has a crush on Harry's animagus form, which is the male form of the hybrid creature," said Rowena cheerfully as Harry glared at her and blushed in embarrassment when all the others laughed.

They stopped at another door as Rowena finished her explanation to the others who were looking at Harry with new respect to his abilities and amusement of the situation. Harry paid no heed to the conversation happening behind him as he approached another door that was adorned with several complicated looking runes and figures. Motioning to Salazar and Rowena, the three made a small cut on their hands and put their bloodied hands on three different runes.

"_Open to the serpent master, Salazar Slytherin, Lord of Hogwarts," _hissed Salazar in Parseltongue at the door, activating one of the runes, which he had his hand on.

"**Open to your master, the Black Prince, Harry James Potter, Lord of Hogwarts," **spoke Harry in an ancient druidic language, lost to the modern world. His own rune glowed as his blood fell on it, activating the rune.

"By their commands and my own, open to the Raven of revival, Lady Rowena Ravenclaw, Lady of Hogwarts," spoke Rowena in an ancient language, as their runes connected themselves with bright golden color.

The door in front of them glowed brightly then shimmered of out of existence, allowing them entry. They entered to find themselves in a circular corridor with a door in front of them and most of them groaned, thinking it was another door but Harry's chuckle brought their attention to him.

"Don't worry, this is my personal room," said Harry grinning.

"You have to go through all of this to enter your personal rooms?" asked Bella horrified. The collected laughs of the founders made her blush deepen and duck her head in embarrassment.

"Of course not, Bella, I can always Apparate there or just ask Hogwarts to transport me there if I'm not able to Apparate," said Harry. Angry looks met him on the faces of the group but Harry explained in favor of not being harmed.

"I have to go through these doors to activate the pathway to the wards," he added quickly.

"Could Hogwarts transport anyone to your room or the ward room?" asked Dumbledore thoughtfully. Rowena shook her head and replied in the teacher mode. "Of course not. Only the founders of Hogwarts and its headmaster are able to even feel Hogwarts' presence but only the founders can command Hogwarts to transport them to the rooms directly."

"Okay, what are we supposed to do now?" asked Blaise.

Harry closed his eyes for two seconds before the room around them faded out of existence and they appeared in a bare room. Harry went to a corner and touched a stone with his wand. Likewise, the other two founders made the same action and something began to emerge from the ground. In front of them sat a large stone on a pedestal, covered with numerous spells, runes and other enchantments.

Salazar began by dropping blood on the stone as he did with the door earlier and chanted in Parseltongue. Rowena followed his actions and spoke in the same ancient language she spoke at the door, letting her blood flow on the foundation stone. Harry began his chant in ancient druidic as his blood followed the two founders' down the stone and onto the runes carved on it. The blood mixed with each other and the stone glowed bright orange and began to vibrate as the

Dumbledore and the others watched in awe one of the most memorable experiences in the history of the school. They grew up fascinated with Hogwarts and its founders, its magic and its history. To witness the founders of their prestigious school charging its wards were dreams come true to them. Dumbledore could not hold a grin of pride from appearing on his face as he watched Harry and suppressed the tingle of envy as Harry performed what no one ever did in history.

First, he time travels to the past, which was thought to be impossible. Then, he falls in love with one of the most famous and brilliant witches in history and have the most feared Dark lord beside Voldemort as a blood brother. Finally, founding the world's finest magical schools and acquiring knowledge forgotten to the modern world.

His attention was brought back to the founders as they screamed in unison something in Latin, which Dumbledore managed to translate as 'renew' or 'charge'. The three founders were a little pale from losing much blood gasped when he felt the wards around Hogwarts. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the power of such wards and the well of Magic that was opened on the whole school.

Outside of the room and throughout Hogwarts, broken things began to repair themselves and everything from chairs and desks to windows and the ceiling began to look more solid and more alive. The students gasped as they felt the magic of Hogwarts as it spread throughout the castle and its grounds, enforcing and renewing every little charm and ward on the school.

* * *

At another place, the Dark lord sat up quickly as he felt a surge of magic passing through him. He meditated for a few minutes, searching for the reason of such powerful magic when his astral conscious hit a barrier of which he faintly recognized. He opened his eyes, blood red color pumping in anger as he screamed in rage. 

"_Dumbledore!"_

He didn't know how it was possible that Dumbledore managed to raise such powerful wards around the school and angrily summoned his Inner Circle. Death Eaters around the globe felt an unimaginable pain flared around the part where their marks were placed, causing one of them to fall on the ground as he was meeting with ministry officials and thus cause his arrest. The other Death Eaters apparated to their master's side and were met with angry glares and a Cruciatus sent their way.

"Find how Dumbledore upgraded the wards around Hogwarts," hissed Voldemort. The Death eaters bowed and disappeared one by one, leaving only Andreas Nott present and bowing to his master.

"Summon me our spy."

Nott nodded and quickly pushed his wand to the necklace around his neck. A few seconds after, a pop marked the arrival of the spy who bowed in front of Voldemort, kissing the hem of his robe.

"Yes, my lord," said the Death Eater bowing.

"Dumbledore upgraded Hogwarts' wards today. I want you find out how he accomplished such a feat. Succeed and you enter my Inner Circle and fail and you will endure my wrath."

"Yes my lord, we felt the surge of power course through Hogwarts a few minutes before and we wondered what caused it," answered the Death Eater.

"You are dismissed."

* * *

Harry and Dumbledore sat in the headmaster's office having lunch together as they talked causally about what happened earlier and about who would be the new minister after Fudge's death. 

"Who are the candidates for minister?" asked Harry curiously.

"Amos Diggory, Rufus Scrimgeour, and Andreas Nott," answered Dumbledore gravely.

"The Death Eater? Why the hell isn't he in Azkaban or wanted for being a Death Eater?"

"Because they never proved that he is a Death Eater. Voldemort has another way of summoning him other than the Dark Mark and Nott is cunning enough not to be caught," replied Dumbledore.

"What about the Scrimgo guy?"

"Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Department and a fierce warrior for the light. He is a talented wizard who graduated from Hogwarts few years before your parents entered and was sorted in Gryffindor."

"So he is not a Death Eater?"

"No," said Dumbledore, "he spent his whole life chasing Dark wizards and capturing them and he is dedicated to the light side."

"Which one would you choose to become the next minister?"

"Amos Diggory is a good politician but he lacks the flexibility to guide the wizarding world in the war with Voldemort. Rufus is renowned for his strength of character and his hate for dark wizards, but he lacks the ability to ask for advice before jumping into situations. Between the two of them, I would nominate Rufus as the next minister," said Dumbledore conversationally.

Hagrid's words suddenly came to Harry's mind and he couldn't help but agree.

'_What will come will come.'_


	17. The New Minister

**Disclaimer: **Believe it or not, no money is being made through this as all characters etc that you recognize belong to Madame Rowling. Anything else is, most obviously, property of Egyptian Flame unless stated otherwise. Egyptian Flame does not have an army of lawyers like the aforementioned literary genius but that doesn't mean to say he hasn't got an army…

**Chapter 17: The New Minister**

Harry spent a lot of time in the Chamber of Secrets, doing some exercises of Magic Control. He sat on the ground with his eyes closed and was surrounded by eight stones that were laid out in a circle around him. The exercise consisted of Harry 'leaking' some of his magic from his core and outwards to the surrounding area, trying to keep it out as long as possible with the objective of levitating the stones. He was in an advanced stage, something that took him nine years to accomplish, where he could push the magic out of his core and onto his surrounding area and levitate the stones for 30 minutes.

These Magic Control exercises helped limit the excessive magic leaked when a spell is performed and helped immensely with wandless magic. Not many wizards had the patience or the knowledge to be completely in control of their magic, something that Dumbledore had in spades.

Dumbledore was one of three wizards in complete control of his magic, a fact that made him feared by dark wizards in general. The other two wizards were Nicolas Flammel, a wizard who had 6 centuries to refine and be in control of his magic, and Tom Riddle, who spent most of his life learning to control it.

The discipline that this technique demanded was enormous and Harry was thankful that they had managed to get the tribe leader to teach them the technique. Harry began another technique linked to this one, where he would throw the levitated stones at a wall but stop it just before it touched the wall. It served the purpose of increasing the speed of magic connecting to Harry's fingertips. He kept repeating the exercise until Salazar came to get him for an Order meeting. It was an uneventful meeting, with reports of Voldemort's quietness, which Harry had predicted in the aftermath of the upgraded wards.

The next couple of days witnessed emergency meetings of the Wizengamot due to the occurrence of Fudge's assassination. Members of the Wizengamot had met several times, discussing the procedures and laws pertaining to the selection of a new minister. Most of the recommended candidates backed down, fearing the lives of their family and loved ones.

People flooded the ministry of magic to provide their votes to the future minister of magic. In an act to increase the support of their candidate, Harry and Dumbledore made their way to the Headquarters of the Daily prophet, making a remarkable entrance and leaving most people in awe at seeing the two famous wizards in one place.

The interviews took about an hour, in which they supported Rufus Scrimgeour and announced that they had voted for him. The news of the interview circulated every corner of the wizarding world in no time, providing the right incentive for some people to change their minds and their votes.

By Tuesday morning, Rufus Scrimgeour was easily elected Minister of Magic and immediately rushed in the next day. Harry and Dumbledore were satisfied as they heard the results of the elections but someone else was not satisfied in one bit. In fact, he was so enraged that the messenger, who delivered the news, had his skin melt and a killing curse to the chest.

An owl carrying the ministry seal approached Harry a few days after the new minister was sworn in asking Harry for a meeting. Harry had replied with an invitation to have the meeting in Dumbledore's office in the afternoon.

Harry sat in Dumbledore's office, talking about some wards that Harry had created in the past and about some charms that Harry invented that were used in modern world.

"You have to apply some potions on the ground surrounding the house. This ward is much like the Fidelius in its casting, but not all people in the past were proficient in runes. The potions are a substitute, although they are weaker than when a wizard is using runes," explained Harry, but stopped when a knock on the door interrupted his explanation to Dumbledore, who sat paying attention like a Ravenclaw student.

"Enter," said Dumbledore loudly.

Harry's first thought was that Scrimgeour looked like an old lion. There were streaks of gray in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.

"Good afternoon gentlemen," said Scrimgeour as he closed the door behind him. Harry could see two Aurors stationed outside the door and cast a silencing charm so that their conversation remained private. The minister's eyes scanned the room shortly for any threats, before extending his hand to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you," said Rufus politely and turned to Dumbledore, who was watching with amusement as Scrimgeour's expression turned sour for a split second before he nodded and said, "Dumbledore."

"Minister Scrimgeour, welcome to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "Please have a seat, lemon drop?" The new minister ignored Dumbledore's pleasantries, leading Harry to believe that Dumbledore had already spoken with the new minister before.

"First of all, let me offer my congratulations on your election. Although it is sad that Fudge was lost to assassination, we needed a new minister who had the ability to respond to the current situation in the wizarding world," said Harry cheerfully, though Dumbledore could tell that he was suppressing a laugh at the false persona.

"Thank you Mr. Potter," said Rufus Scrimgeour grinning at Harry. "It is, of course, an honor that the Wizengamot nominated me as one of the candidates. I wanted to thank you for backing me up, as it was mostly your support that got me the most votes." Dumbledore was rolling his eyes as if to say 'suck up'. Harry held back a chuckle as he listened to Rufus Scrimgeour ramble a little.

"What's your purpose of this visit, Minister? Surely, you are not here to thank us for supporting you or having the pleasure of meeting me. I have classes to teach so if you would please get to the point, I would be grateful," said Harry. Scrimgeour's attitude changed to formal as he gathered an answer in his mind to reply to Harry's question.

"The rumors that have flown around!" said Scrimgeour. "Well, there are all these whispers of a prophecy being smashed in the Hall of Prophecies, and of you being the 'Chosen One'…"

"I thought you were too old to believe rumors and gossips, Minister," said Harry raising an eyebrow. It was, perhaps, the first time the Daily prophet got the rumors right. The minister blushed at Harry's exclamation and replied heatedly.

"People believe you are the Chosen One," said Scrimgeour. "The point is that you are a symbol of hope for the people. The idea that there is somebody out there who might be able, even destined, to destroy the Dark Lord would give people hope and lift their spirits. I feel that you realize that it is almost a duty to stand alongside the Ministry of Magic and give everyone a boast."

"So basically, you want me to be the scapegoat of the ministry. I would go and make an appearance as if I'm working for the ministry," said Harry coldly, stroking the edge of his wand.

"It would give the people a lift to think you are more involved, Harry," said Scrimgeour almost desperately.

"I don't remember giving you the permission to call me by my first name, minister. If I do what you want then it would be seen as if I approve of what the ministry is doing, something which is far from true. You seem cleverer than Fudge was, Scrimgeour, and I thought you would have learned from his mistakes." Dumbledore chose that moment to interfere, having left Harry to settle the meeting himself with his own chosen path.

"I think Mr. Potter was clear about his answer, Rufus, something of which I've told you in our meeting earlier. My advice is, if you want the ministry to be in a better light, do something positive, not imprisoning innocent citizens for the sake of calming the public!" said Dumbledore with a tone that sent chills down the minister's spine. Harry, on the other hand, used a little legilimency to know what Dumbledore was talking about and his anger surfaced at what he found.

"You think Stan is a Death Eater? That's pathetic. If you'd checked him, you would have known that he is no Death Eater with a little Veritaserum, which the ministry happens to forget when dealing with wrongfully accused citizens," said Harry angrily. The pain of his godfather's death was always there, beneath the surface, simmering softly and waiting for a chance to erupt.

"The ministry would never imprison innocent citizens," replied Scrimgeour imperiously.

"I fail to see the records of a trial for Sirius Black before he was chucked in Azkaban. The ministry didn't even use Veritaserum since they knew that nothing would come out of Sirius Black's mouth that would prove him guilty. Don't argue about things you have no prior knowledge about, minister."

"You refuse to aid the ministry?" asked Scrimgeour.

"I think we already covered this subject, Minister, this meeting is over." The minister shot Harry a glare before storming out of the Headmaster's office, leaving two laughing wizards.

* * *

Harry and Salazar sat in Harry's office, having tea and talking about everything that happened in their lives. Salazar couldn't have dreamed that in any lifetime he would time travel to the future and do all of the things they had done. He could still remember the boy who mysteriously appeared in front of his house, unconscious and malnourished. Nobody would have ever guessed that Harry would evolve through hardships into the powerful and respected wizard who sat in front of him. He would have traded his whole family in a second, if it had meant meeting Harry earlier in life.

"What's on your mind, Sal?" asked Harry as he took a sip from his coffee.

"It's nothing of importance, brother. I wish to ask you something," said Salazar conversationally. Harry nodded for him to continue, putting his fork down as he finished his own breakfast.

"When in the bloody hell are you going to ask Rowena to marry you?" asked Salazar impatiently. Harry raised an eyebrow and calmly asked.

"What brought this on, Sal?"

"What brought this on, Harry, is that Rowena had left her life, family, friends, and everything else of importance to follow you to the future and be by your side. You are in love with her and you are her world," said Salazar smoothly. "When the hell are you going to grow up and ask her?"

"Although I'm grateful and thankful for you being here, Sal, I never asked you to follow me to the future. I never had the choice of returning to the future or staying in the past or I would have done so in the first place. I have a destiny to fulfill and a powerful evil mage who will not let me have a peaceful moment and will not hesitate to kill my loved ones, just to see me get hurt.

"I love Rowena with all my heart and I intend to marry her, but not before I destroy Tom Riddle. I could never have a complete, peaceful life with him alive and he could never have the complete domination with me in his way."

"Why not marrying her _and_ completing your destiny?"

"I intend to marry Rowena Ravenclaw, not Rowena Morgan. The truth will come out soon after Tom is dead and I'll have a safe life in which to marry and raise my children. I don't want anyone to be born in the age of darkness created by a psychopath," said Harry solemnly.

"She came here for you, Harry, and I don't think she will be satisfied with the girlfriend status for long," said Salazar softly, before smirking.

"I knew you couldn't handle the fluffy love talk for long before that smirk would resurface," said Harry grinning.

"Well, I'm Salazar Slytherin after all, the supposed Dark Lord extraordinaire. I have a reputation to uphold," said Salazar with a sneer.

"I didn't know you're such a softie Slytherin," said Harry teasingly with a chuckle.

"Shut up, Potter."

"So, what's up with you and Bella? You spend a lot of time lip-locked," said Harry teasingly. Salazar blushed a little before smirking at Harry. "At least we are decent in doing it and not tearing each other's clothes apart." This time, Harry's blush was apparent.

"I really need to learn a good memory charm that works on annoying Slytherins," said Harry as Salazar laughed coolly.

"I've grown fond of Bellatrix during the time we've spent together," admitted Salazar. Harry rolled his eyes at his blood brother and replied. "What's wrong with you people and long sentences. Can't you just say 'I like her' and get on to the next sentence?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, I know you're brain is confused when I say complicated sentences and long words," mocked Salazar with a smirk.

"Suit yourself, Slytherin, so are you and Bella an item now?" asked Harry excitedly.

"The giggly gossip talk that you're attempting isn't going to work on me," said Slytherin imperiously as Harry rolled his eyes again.

"Fine, Slytherin. I'm going to my classroom since I have sixth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws class to teach," said Harry, standing up and clearing the table with a wave of his wand. Salazar picked the Daily Prophet making Harry sigh in annoyance and gather his lesson plans to prepare for the upcoming class.

He arrived to find the class full of the students, with Ron and Hermione sitting in the front, waiting eagerly for Harry to begin the lesson. They have learned many things since Harry had begun teaching and to say that Harry had a hard time having them catch up was an understatement.

"Good morning class," began Harry.

"Good morning Professor Potter." They always did that to annoy him, seeing as that was how they responded to Umbridge the year before, or to Harry's inner clock, 10 years ago.

"Today, I'm going to teach you two useful spells that Aurors always use to apprehend a criminal. The first spell is _Capio aggredior._I want you all to repeat the incantation until you pronounce it right. Very good. Now, the wand movements are like this," said Harry, showing them a complicated wand movement.

A bright white beam flew from Harry's wand towards Seamus, who was drawing on a piece of parchment. As if by magic, two bracelets appeared on his wrists and two others on around his ankles and attached. The bracelets were attracted like a magnet to its counter part on the other limb and the ones on the wrist connected themselves around his back.

The other students laughed while Seamus glared at Harry for suddenly cuffing him like a criminal but blushed when Harry summoned the parchment he was drawing on, which held a picture of Lavender Brown. Harry smiled softly and returned his attention to the class.

"Pay attention, Seamus and collect the parchment after class. What I teach you in this class may save your life or help you in whatever career you hope for in your future. It may also save you from the Death Eaters, if they ever have the chance to attack you."

Seamus nodded his head as he saw the disappointment in Harry's eyes but sighed in relief when the handcuffs disappeared. The students kept repeating the incantations and memorizing the wand movements but Harry knew that Hermione would succeed in doing the spell quick enough.

"Miss Granger, why don't you give me a demonstration of your spell?" said Harry as Hermione was bouncing on her seat in excitement with her hand raised high. She sprang from her seat and came to the front, standing and facing Harry with her wand held high.

"_Capio aggredior,"_shouted Hermione, waving her wand in a perfect motion. The white beam sprang from her wand and hit Harry, but had no effect whatsoever. Hermione frowned and looked almost near tears as she failed to perform the spell.

"The wand motion is perfect and the pronunciation is superb but you are visualizing the wrong effects, Hermione. What are you willing your spell to do?" asked Harry patiently.

"I…I visualize your hands being bound together and the same with your ankles," said Hermione frowning in confusion. Harry chuckled and Hermione glared at him, thinking he was laughing at seeing the bookworm, Hermione Granger, not performing a spell on her first try.

"It's a difficult spell Hermione, but you are forgetting one main thing. This spell is based on two fields: conjuration and charms," said Harry but stopped as he saw comprehension dawning on his best friend. She raised her wand once more and performed the spell but this time, cuffs appeared on Harry's arms and legs in the same way that happened with Seamus. Hermione squealed happily, forgetting to remove the cuffs from her Professor.

"If you would be so kind, Hermione, my back is killing me," said Harry, clearing his throat. Hermione blushed prettily and performed a 'Finite Incantatem' but nothing happened.

"There is a countercharm for this one. The incantation is _Eximo adstringo _and the motion is a clockwise circle and anti-clockwise half circle." This time, Hermione performed it on her first try, relieving Harry of the bind. He turned to the rest of the students and walked around helping the students, while Hermione helped others.

"Hermione did it wrong at first, because she assumed that the bracelets were part of the spell and only concentrated on the effects of the bracelets. This spell is based on conjuring the bracelets on the person's limbs, charming the wrists together like a magnet and the direction of the hand wrists connecting, either backward or forward," explained Harry to the rest of the students.

"The other spell I intend to teach you is an anti apparation jinx. The incantation is _Occurro Contra_ _Peragro._ It has a long incantation, so it is best to perform on a bound person or nonverbally so the person is not aware of it. An Auror developed it long ago when he realized that applying anti-apparation wards to prevent one criminal from escaping was tiring as well as next to impossible to do in time. Its counterjinx is _Solvo_ _Subiungo._"

The lesson soon came to an end and Harry started to gather his papers when Fawkes appeared in a flash of flames with a paper clutched in his beak. Harry saw the familiar writing of the Headmaster on the note and dread filled him, as the Headmaster never sends post with Fawkes except in emergencies.

**_Harry,_**

**_Death Eaters are attacking the cities of Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool, and London. You are needed in Yorkshire since I am heading for Manchester and I've sent Salazar and some of the Order to Liverpool and the Ministry Aurors are headed for London. Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Dedalus Diggle are the only ones who will accompany you since we have none other to spare. Please take care, Harry, and if Voldemort is present, stall him long enough for the others to escape but do not endanger yourself. He is still unbeatable. _**

**_Albus Dumbledore._**

_Ps: This note is a portkey and the activation word is Help._

Harry paled and disappeared to his room to gather his battle equipments. He noticed the absence of Rowena and hoped the Dumbledore hadn't sent her to battle. Making sure that he is ready, he whispered the activation key and felt a tug on his navel, signaling the activation of the portkey.

He arrived to find three wands pointed at him and relaxed when he recognized his three companions, Lupin, Tonks, and Diggle. He nodded to them in greeting and looked around to find himself in an alley and his ears detected the screams and explosions. Death Eaters roamed the village, killing and torturing the helpless people unfortunate enough to stand in their way.

They appeared to be around 60 Death Eaters in the alley and Harry wondered when Voldemort had the time to recruit all of them. Harry recognized most of the Death Eaters were newbies, with only 10 or so old Death Eaters. Harry's fury gathered up as he saw butchered bodies of young children littered around everywhere and the laugh of delight on the Death Eaters.

'_**Cado Ictus,'**_ thought Harry, bringing his wand down like a hammer. Three bolts of lighting fell from the sky in an angry light beam, hitting three Death Eaters torturing a little girl with the Cruciatus. The Death Eaters exploded in a shower of blood. A beam of green light barely brushed his ear as he gained the attention of other Death Eaters.

Remus, Tonks, and Diggle seemed to hold their own against a large group of Death Eaters, but Diggle was bleeding from his left arm, having been hit with a mild cutting curse. Harry slashed his wand, aiming it towards the group fighting with the order members and muttered.

"_**Trucido aliquantus" **_

Several heads exploded in a shower of organs as the massive organ-exploding curse reached its target. A scream brought Harry's attention to a corner of the village were a young girl was being raped. Harry's wand glowed bright green as he angrily flicked the tip of his wand in a large sweeping motion. The Death Eater flew rapidly into the wall near him, his expression turning from pleasure to pain in a matter of moments.

"_Crucio," _bellowed Harry as he poured all of his anger into the spell. The familiar crimson beam erupted from Harry's wand and soared rapidly the air towards the molesting Death Eater, hitting him squarely in the chest as he tried to get up. The high-pitched screams were familiar to Harry and in a split of a second, a maniacal grin threatened to split his face apart.

As Harry had thought, Rudolphus Lestrange writhed on the ground as pain that not even his master was able to produce flowed through his veins, setting them on fire as thousands of hot knives seemingly drove themselves into his skin. His screams were so horrible that all action around them ceased as they watched as one of Voldemort's Inner Circle being tortured with the Cruciatus curse.

Harry was sure that Rudolphus Lestrange's mind had snapped under the strain of the Cruciatus. The remaining Death Eaters began firing curses towards Harry as they saw their fellow Death Eater tortured to insanity. Harry dodged and rolled to the side, a few curses missing him by inches.

"_Imperio,"_ muttered Harry, pointing at one of the Death Eaters. A transparent beam wrapped itself around the Death Eater's mind, creating a mind link associated with the Imperius Curse.

'_Kill your allies,_' ordered Harry, watching satisfied as the controlled Death Eater began firing killing curses at the others. He was quickly brought down, but not before killing many Death Eaters with him and allowing Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley to attack ruthlessly.

Harry waved his wand at some stones next to him, changing them to sharp knives and waited until some Death Eaters moved forward as they sent their curses.

'_Waddiwasi_,' thought Harry. Death Eaters screamed as hundreds of knives rapidly embedded themselves in their bodies, courtesy of the banishing charm. The rest of the Death Eaters knew that they were losing and wisely apparated away to face their master's punishment.

Harry walked towards his companions, stepping through rubbles and dead bodies of the citizens of the unfortunate village. He couldn't comprehend how someone could be so cruel as to torture and rape innocent children, destroying happy homes of people who had never crossed paths with Voldemort or provoked his wrath.

"Is anyone hurt?" asked Harry as he approached the group. Kingsley had a few scratches and bruises and Tonks had taken a bone-breaking hex to her left wrist. Remus looked uninjured but fatigued as he held the return portkey, which would take them to Dumbledore's office.

They appeared in the Headmaster's office to find Madam Pomfrey treating Dumbledore's hand, which looked to have been hit with several curses and the others who went to the different locations of the multiple attacks including Salazar and Rowena who looked fine. Everyone looked grave and some order members were even crying which led Harry's stomach to do back flips from worrying, as he feared the worst. He was about to ask what happened when McGonagall entered the office with none other than Hermione beside her.

"Ms. Granger, Hermione, please have a seat," said Dumbledore wearily. Hermione's face had a look of confusion as she entered and looked around the bloodied and sad faces of the Order members and sat down on the offered chair. Harry didn't have to use legilimency to know what happened as he moved beside Hermione and wrapped his arms around her.

"Professor McGonagall said you wanted to see me Professor," said Hermione as she looked around in concern at some injured members, then back at Harry with confusion.

"What's going on, Harry?"

"It is with deepest regrets that I give you this news; Hermione, your parents are dead."


End file.
